FG moves to strengthen states’ education, health budgets

The Federal Government is taking steps to address weaknesses in states’ budgeting for basic education and primary healthcare ahead of the 2027 fiscal year.

The initiative, under the World Bank-assisted HOPE Governance Programme (HOPE-GOV), will involve a technical workshop for government officials from the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to improve budget planning, resource allocation, implementation and accountability.

The workshop, scheduled to hold in Abuja from October 12 to November 4, 2026, is part of efforts to strengthen governance, institutional capacity and accountability in the delivery of essential public services.

Joe Mutah, Communications Officer of the HOPE-GOV Programme, announced the workshop in a statement on Sunday, saying participants would be trained to align their 2027 budgets with sectoral priorities and operational plans for basic education and primary healthcare.

He said the exercise was expected to help ensure that government spending translated more effectively into improved service delivery.

The engagement will be conducted in four batches, with participating states expected to identify specific budgeting challenges and develop practical solutions to improve the credibility, quality and implementation of their financial plans.

A major focus will be aligning Primary Healthcare Annual Operational Plans (AOPs), Basic Education Annual Consolidated Workplans (ACWPs) and 2027 budgets with the requirements of Disbursement Linked Indicator 2 (DLI 2) under the HOPE-GOV Programme.

The programme seeks to strengthen the link between government plans, budgetary allocations and actual service delivery while improving the capacity of state institutions to manage public resources efficiently.

Areas to be covered include the application of the National Chart of Accounts, programme-based budgeting, project prioritisation and costing, mapping and geo-tagging, and aligning sectoral plans with approved budget ceilings.

These measures are expected to help states improve expenditure planning, identify priority projects and establish clearer links between allocated funds and intended outcomes in schools and primary healthcare facilities.

Officials to develop state-specific solutions

The workshop will bring together Permanent Secretaries responsible for Budget and Planning, Executive Secretaries of State Primary Health Care Development Agencies, and chairmen and executive secretaries of State Universal Basic Education Boards.

Other participants will include directors of budget, budget officers responsible for education and primary healthcare, and HOPE-GOV state focal persons.

Beyond the technical training, participants will examine state-specific challenges affecting budget preparation and implementation, with a view to developing practical solutions to identified gaps.

The emphasis on implementation is intended to strengthen not only the preparation of sectoral budgets but also their execution and accountability.

The initiative forms part of the Federal Government’s broader efforts to address governance constraints affecting the delivery of basic education and primary healthcare services across the country.

Domiciled in the Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, HOPE-GOV is designed to strengthen governance systems, improve planning and budgeting, build institutional capacity and promote accountability in the delivery of critical human capital services.

The programme focuses particularly on basic education and primary healthcare, two sectors central to human capital development and improved living standards.

The workshop is expected to equip state officials with practical tools to ensure that their 2027 budget proposals are better aligned with sectoral needs, available resources and measurable service-delivery priorities.