World Bank Loan: FG Targets $500m To Boost Education, Health

In order to tackle inadequate human resource issues in Nigeria’s education and healthcare systems, the Federal Government is targeting a $500million loan from the World Bank.
The loan, which is intended to tackle long-standing staffing gaps and enhance the performance management of basic education teachers and primary healthcare workers, is part of the Nigeria Human Capital Opportunities for Prosperity and Equity Governance Programme.
The Programme Information Document for the appraisal stage revealed that the international lender, the World Bank, is expected to give its final approval for the loan on September 26, 2024, and have the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health as the implementing organs.
It also showed that the loan is to support, and strengthen financial and human resource management in the basic education and primary healthcare sectors.
According to the document, the loan will focus on three major result areas, with the improvement of recruitment, deployment, and performance management of sector workers being a key component.
“Nigeria suffers from a shortage of qualified professionals, including teachers and health workers, when compared to the average for low- and middle-income countries. These are also highly unequal across regions/states.
“Frontline workers such as teachers and healthcare workers are technical employees of local governments, but states vary considerably in the extent to which they are managed at a central state level, creating blurred accountabilities.
“Moreover, human resource management suffers from a lack of planning, is often not properly costed and is not always based on merit and transparency”.
“The deployment of these professionals is also suboptimal and not aligned to guarantee learning and basic health care for all,” the document revealed.

“HOPE-GOV covers a subset of actions from the government programme and would run from 2024 to 2028. These actions will mostly be at the state level, but with a few at the federal level.

“The Programme will support Nigeria in addressing underlying governance weaknesses in the systems and procedures of government that constrain outcomes in basic education and primary healthcare service delivery.

“The focus will be on cross-sectoral issues, such as improved financial resource allocation, efficiency of resources, strengthened public financial management, fiscal transparency and accountability, and enhanced human resource management.

“In addition, an IPF component (US$20m) will finance the technical assistance component”, it stated.

Corlins Walter