The federal government’s HOPE Governance Programme is organising a technical workshop for the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory to improve the planning and execution of public spending on basic education and primary healthcare. The engagement, supported by the World Bank, is scheduled to run in Abuja through November 4, 2026, with participants attending in four groups. It is designed to strengthen the link between sector priorities, annual operational plans and the amounts ultimately provided in state budgets. The workshop will focus on aligning primary healthcare annual operational plans, basic education consolidated work plans and 2027 budget proposals with requirements under Disbursement Linked Indicator 2 of the programme.
Participants are expected to work on the National Chart of Accounts, programme based budgeting, project selection and costing, mapping and geographic identification of proposed projects. The sessions will also examine how states can make spending plans more realistic within approved budget limits. HOPE Governance communications officer Joe Mutah said the programme would bring together senior officials from budget and planning ministries, state primary healthcare agencies, universal basic education boards and the state teams responsible for implementing the initiative. The programme, domiciled in the Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, is intended to address governance and institutional weaknesses that undermine the delivery of essential services.
Its emphasis is on credible budgets, clear responsibilities and measurable results rather than expenditure commitments alone. For states, the immediate objective is to ensure that health and education priorities are reflected in budgets that can be implemented and monitored. Better planning can help, but the quality of service delivery will ultimately depend on the release of funds, procurement practices, execution and public accountability.
