The World Bank has approved $1.57 billion in new financing to support Nigeria in improving healthcare services and addressing the impacts of climate change, including flooding. This announcement, made on Monday, outlines three key projects aimed at strengthening human capital, particularly in health sectors that focus on women, children, and adolescents.
The funding includes $500 million for the HOPE-GOV program, which seeks to address governance issues hindering service delivery in education and healthcare, $570 million for the HOPE-PHC program aimed at enhancing primary healthcare services, and $500 million for the Sustainable Power and Irrigation for Nigeria Project (SPIN).
The SPIN project focuses on improving dam safety, water resource management, and irrigation, benefitting up to 950,000 individuals, including farmers and livestock breeders. Additionally, it seeks to increase agricultural productivity by expanding reliable irrigation systems over 40,000 hectares of land.
According to the World Bank, these projects will help alleviate governance challenges in education and healthcare, boost the availability of financing, and improve recruitment and performance management. The HOPE-PHC program, specifically, is designed to reduce maternal and under-five mortality rates, impacting around 40 million people.
Ndiamé Diop, the World Bank’s country director for Nigeria, highlighted that this investment will address critical challenges faced by Nigerians, particularly women and girls, by improving access to essential services. He added that the SPIN program would further protect citizens from floods and droughts while enhancing hydropower generation.
The World Bank emphasized that these initiatives are part of Nigeria’s broader efforts to strengthen its human capital and build resilience against climate change.
