World Bank coordinator urges Nigerian states to sustain reforms from concessional loans
via Punch Nigeria3 min read
Assad Hassan, National Coordinator of the World Bank-backed HOPE Governance Programme, has called on Nigerian federal and state governments to fully utilize concessional loans to build strong institutions and maintain governance reforms beyond external funding. Speaking in Enugu during the South-East Implementation Support Mission, Hassan warned that Nigeria risks repeating a cycle of abandoned reforms if deliberate steps are not taken to institutionalize ongoing interventions. He emphasized that while the World Bank provides soft loans, the responsibility lies with Nigeria to ensure the sustainability of these programs. The HOPE Governance Programme aims to strengthen institutional frameworks in basic education and primary healthcare. Hassan expressed concern over Nigeria's history of not sustaining reforms from previous World Bank-supported programs, such as the State Fiscal Transparency, Accountability and Sustainability SFTAS program. He stressed that the success of the current initiative depends on state governments translating financial support into lasting institutional changes and taking ownership of reforms to attract further international support. As of December 31, 2025, Nigeria's debt to the World Bank's International Development Association reached $18.7 billion, making it the third-largest borrower in the IDA portfolio. Ikechukwu Nweje, Task Team Lead of the program at the World Bank, noted that the Programme-for-Results model is used to ensure reforms are tied
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