Abuja: The Federal Government has unveiled three flagship programmes aimed at lifting millions of Nigerians out of poverty and strengthening healthcare, education and livelihoods through more than $3 billion in World Bank-backed funding.
Unveiling the initiatives, Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele, described the interventions as a major step towards translating macroeconomic reforms into tangible improvements in livelihoods, saying the programmes would deepen investments in agriculture, healthcare, education and support for internally displaced persons.
“These are not just programmes. They are promises kept,” Oyedele said as he introduced the NG-CARES Additional Financing, the Solutions for Internally Displaced and Host Communities (SOLID) Programme, and the Human Capital Opportunities for Prosperity and Equity (HOPE) Programme. Together, the initiatives represent a combined investment of more than $3 billion, backed by World Bank financing and the Federal Government.
The launch marks a significant milestone in the implementation of the government’s Renewed Hope Development Plan (2026–2030), which seeks to ensure that economic growth translates into measurable improvements in the quality of life of ordinary Nigerians.
Oyedele said that while the economy was showing encouraging signs of recovery—with real GDP growth of 11.2 per cent last year, nearly 10 per cent growth in per capita income in dollar terms, foreign reserves exceeding $50 billion, and inflation easing sharply from its 2024 peak—the true measure of success would be whether those gains reached every Nigerian.
“Real prosperity means no Nigerian is left behind on our journey to a US$1 trillion economy by 2030,” he said.
The NG-CARES Additional Financing, valued at $1.25 billion, will support smallholder farmers and micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, strengthening livelihoods and resilience at the grassroots.
The SOLID Programme, with funding of $300 million, is designed to bridge humanitarian assistance and long-term development by investing in infrastructure, livelihoods and essential services for internally displaced persons and their host communities.
The HOPE Programme, the largest of the three initiatives at $1.5 billion, will invest in Nigeria’s human capital by strengthening primary healthcare, improving foundational learning in public schools, supporting teachers and promoting more transparent governance at the ward level.
Oyedele stressed that the programmes are not stand-alone interventions but part of a coordinated national strategy to reduce poverty and accelerate human capital development. Through a ward-centric implementation framework, he said, the Federal, State and Local Governments would work in concert to transform every ward into a centre of effective service delivery and economic opportunity.
He commended the Ministers of Budget and Economic Planning, Education, and Health and Social Welfare for their roles in advancing the initiative.
The minister also called on state governments, development partners and implementing agencies to ensure effective execution, noting that the success of NG-CARES depends on strong state-level implementation, HOPE requires sustained reform commitment, while SOLID will rely heavily on active community participation.
“We are building a Nigeria where extreme poverty is banished, where every child has access to quality education and healthcare, and where every community can withstand adversity and recover stronger,” he said.
Oyedele noted that the new programmes would build on the government’s ongoing social protection efforts, including cash transfers that have reached 15 million households and are estimated to have lifted about 7.5 million Nigerians out of poverty.
For millions of Nigerians, the initiatives represent more than another government policy. They are intended to ensure that economic growth is reflected not only in national indicators, but also in fuller dinner tables, better-equipped health centres and improved learning outcomes in classrooms across the country.#Nigeria
