Reported by: Puis Althea | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
President Bola Tinubu has launched a comprehensive $3.05 billion social investment package comprising five World Bank-backed programmes designed to accelerate poverty reduction, strengthen human capital development, improve healthcare and education, and build resilient communities across Nigeria. The President unveiled the initiatives on Thursday at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, describing them as "promises kept" under his administration's Renewed Hope Agenda. Speaking through the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele, Tinubu said the programmes would ensure that the gains of ongoing economic reforms translate into tangible improvements in the lives of ordinary Nigerians.
The package includes the Nigeria Community Action for Resilience and Economic Stimulus Additional Financing (NG-CARES), the Solutions for Internally Displaced and Host Communities programme (SOLID), and the Human Capital Opportunities for Prosperity and Equity (HOPE) package, which is further divided into three components: HOPE-GOV, HOPE-PHC and HOPE-EDU. According to the President, these five programmes form one coordinated national strategy for poverty reduction, human capital development and community resilience. "This is not just a set of programmes; these are promises kept," Tinubu told governors, ministers, development partners, business leaders and the media. "On our Renewed Hope Agenda, we came into office pledging to reform our economy, secure the nation, and invest in our people. Today, we act on that pledge — protecting the vulnerable, empowering communities, and building the human capital that will carry Nigeria forward".
The NG-CARES programme will receive about $1.25 billion in additional World Bank financing and is designed to support smallholder farmers and small businesses. The SOLID programme, a $300 million World Bank-backed intervention, aims to bridge humanitarian relief and long-term development by investing in infrastructure, livelihoods and essential services for internally displaced persons and their host communities. The flagship HOPE package, valued at $1.5 billion, represents the administration's largest single investment in Nigeria's human capital. Through its three components, HOPE will strengthen primary healthcare, improve foundational education, support teachers, and promote transparent governance at the ward level.
Citing recent economic indicators, Tinubu argued that Nigeria's recovery is now positioned to reach households directly. "Our real GDP grew by 11.2 per cent and nearly 10 per cent per capita income growth in U.S. dollar terms last year, and we are on track for a repeat this year," he said. "Our foreign reserves have surpassed $50 billion. Inflation has fallen sharply from its 2024 peak. These are not abstract figures; they are the foundation for the next phase of our national development". The President noted that expanded cash transfers had already reached 15 million vulnerable households, lifting an estimated 7.5 million people out of poverty.
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, disclosed that the HOPE-PHC component, valued at $570 million, would improve primary healthcare services for about 40 million Nigerians, particularly women, children and adolescents. He said the programme would reduce maternal and under-five mortality, strengthen primary healthcare facilities and improve service delivery through performance-based financing. Over 3,000 primary healthcare centres have already been upgraded to Level 2 status, with another 1,000 close to completion, while more than 69,000 frontline health workers have been trained.
The Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, said the HOPE-EDU programme, valued at $562 million, would benefit nearly 30 million pupils, support 500,000 teachers and strengthen 65,000 public schools across the country. He said the initiative would improve foundational learning and teacher support, addressing critical gaps in Nigeria's public education system. The Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Atiku Bagudu, described the interventions as a whole-of-government response to poverty, the cost-of-living crisis and human capital challenges. He said the programmes represent "another milestone in translating the Renewed Hope Agenda into concrete interventions that directly touch the lives of poor and vulnerable Nigerians".
Speaking on behalf of the Nigerian Governors' Forum, Ondo State Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa affirmed the 36 states' commitment to collaborate with the federal government and development partners to ensure that the promise of renewal is experienced by every Nigerian in every state. The President urged federal, state and local governments, development partners and implementing agencies to ensure effective implementation, stressing that delivery and accountability would determine the programmes' success. "NG-CARES succeeds through your implementation. HOPE succeeds through your commitment to reform, and SOLID succeeds through your engagement with communities," Tinubu said.
The launch of the $3.05 billion social investment package represents one of the largest coordinated social protection and human capital development initiatives in Nigeria's recent history. The programmes are aligned with the Renewed Hope Development Plan 2026-2030, which focuses on economic diversification, human capital development and stronger subnational institutions as part of the administration's target of building a $1 trillion economy by 2030. The World Bank-backed financing structure provides additional resources to cushion the impact of economic shocks while supporting the government's reform agenda. "These five programmes are not separate efforts," Tinubu said. "They are one coordinated national strategy for poverty reduction, human capital development and community resilience. Livelihoods, healthcare, education, social protection, and support for displaced communities reinforce one another where it matters most — at the grassroots".
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