FG, World Bank Restructure $500m Education Funding Programme

The Federal Government of Nigeria and the World Bank have restructured the $500 million HOPE for Quality Basic Education for All programme, introducing major changes to funding allocations and expanding support to more states across the country.

According to a restructuring document released by the World Bank on May 20, 2026, the revised arrangement reduces funding previously allocated for the construction of new classrooms while increasing targeted educational interventions in additional states.

The changes were made following a significant reduction in Nigeria’s funding allocation from the Global Partnership for Education System Transformation Grant. The allocation was reduced from $107.59 million to $53.975 million, prompting a review of the programme’s financing structure.

Under the updated arrangement, the entire reduced grant allocation will now be managed directly by the World Bank through the HOPE-Education programme. Initially, the grant had been jointly managed by the World Bank and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

The HOPE-Education programme, which was approved by the World Bank Board in March 2025, is financed through a $500 million International Development Association credit alongside a $52.18 million GPE grant. The programme officially became effective on February 26, 2026.

One of the most significant adjustments affects classroom construction funding. The allocation for creating 13,000 new primary school classrooms through community participation was reduced from $5.7 million to $2.55 million. Funding for government-community agreements supporting classroom construction in 15 states also dropped from $500,000 to $300,000.

Despite the reduction in funding, the programme’s target of constructing 13,000 classrooms remains unchanged. The World Bank stated that the programme’s development objectives, implementation structure, and closing date would remain the same.

The restructuring also expanded the number of states eligible for targeted interventions under the programme. The number of participating states increased from three to six, with Abia, Bauchi, and Kwara joining Akwa Ibom, Kebbi, and Lagos as beneficiaries of the GPE-supported education interventions.

Several funding adjustments were also made across key educational improvement areas. New allocations were introduced to improve the availability of teaching and learning materials in public primary schools across participating states. More than $7 million was allocated to ensure that at least 80 percent of schools have sufficient learning materials for pupils in Grades 1 to 3, while additional funding was approved for Grades 4 to 6.

Funding targeted at improving teaching practices and structured pedagogy among teachers was slightly reduced, while allocations linked to literacy and numeracy proficiency also declined following the removal of certain performance indicators.

However, the programme recorded increases in some critical areas. Funding for annual school grants rose significantly, while allocations for annual school census reporting also increased. These changes are expected to strengthen school administration, planning, and educational data collection across participating states.

The World Bank noted that the restructuring would require adjustments to verification procedures in GPE-supported states, although the verification system for IDA-financed states would remain unchanged.

According to the bank, the HOPE-Education programme is designed to improve foundational learning outcomes, expand access to quality basic education, and strengthen education systems in participating states across Nigeria. The organisation added that implementation of the programme is already showing early signs of progress.