World Bank targets waste in states’ health, education budgets

World Bank building. Photo: World Bank

The World Bank-assisted HOPE Governance Programme has trained 388 government officials from the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory to strengthen public financial management and ensure that budgetary allocations to basic education and primary healthcare reflect actual development priorities.

The training, which focused on aligning states’ Annual Operational Plans for Primary Healthcare and Annual Consolidated Workplans for Basic Education with their respective budgets, comes as state governments prepare their 2027 fiscal proposals.

The programme is also designed to address gaps in planning, costing and budget implementation, particularly the disconnect between government spending and the delivery of essential services to citizens.

A statement issued by the Communications Officer of the HOPE Governance Programme, Joe Mutah, on Monday, said the month-long capacity-building workshop was aimed at improving the practical application of the National Chart of Accounts and programme-based budgeting in the two critical sectors..

The statement read, “The World Bank-assisted HOPE Governance Program has trained 388 officials from the 36 states of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory to strengthen the capacity of state institutions to align their Annual Operational Plans for Primary Healthcare and Annual Consolidated Workplans for Basic Education with their respective budgets.

“The month-long capacity-building workshop was also to enhance the practical application of the National Chart of Accounts and programme-based budgetting in the Basic Education and Primary Health Care Sectors.”

The training also supported participating states in prioritising project costs, mapping and geo-tagging projects, and reconciling sectoral workplans with available budget ceilings.

It further identified and addressed state-specific planning and budgeting gaps through practical exercises involving actual government documents.

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Speaking in Abuja on Monday, the National Coordinator of the programme, Assad Hassan, said the timing of the training was deliberate to ensure that the ongoing preparation of the 2027 state budgets incorporated the required budgetary standards.

He explained that the exercise was particularly important to achieving the programme’s Disbursement-Linked Indicator 2, which requires states to align their budgets with the National Chart of Accounts.

Hassan said, “This workshop is designed to strengthen the capacity of State institutions to align their Annual Operational Plans for Primary Healthcare and Annual Consolidated Workplans for Basic Education with their respective budgets.

“Achieving the objectives of DLI 2 requires a coordinated, multisectoral approach. This is why the composition of participants in this room is deliberate, bringing together key institutions and stakeholders from the Budget, Primary Healthcare and Basic Education sectors. Effective collaboration among these institutions is essential to ensuring that planning, budgeting and implementation are properly aligned.”

He stressed that government budgets should be driven by development priorities and measurable outcomes rather than being treated merely as documents for allocating expenditure.

According to him, planning must determine budgetary allocations, while the resulting expenditure must translate into improved public services.

“A good plan without a budget is an aspiration; a budget without a plan is an invitation to inefficiency,” Hassan stated.

He said the programme was working to ensure that state governments properly cost their priorities, provide adequate funding and translate allocations into tangible benefits for residents.