HOPE-Governance Coordinator Seeks Strategic Use of World Bank Loans to Drive Lasting Reforms

Ndubuisi Francis in Abuja 

The National Coordinator of the World Bank-supported HOPE Governance Programme, Dr. Assad Hassan, has urged governments at all levels to leverage concessional loans from the global development institution to deliberately develop their institutions and sustain governance reforms across the country.

The World Bank-assisted HOPE Governance is designed to strengthen governance and institutional mechanisms in the administration of basic education and primary health in order to deliver results nationwide.

Hassan spoke at the HOPE- Governance South-east Implementation Support Mission convened by the World Bank in Enugu, Tuesday.

“Inasmuch as the bank is a significant partner in this, they are gracious enough to give us soft loans, concessionary loans but I think the onus is on us to make sure that at the end of the day, we see how we can sustain these programmes,” he said, according to a statement issued by the Communications Officer, HOPE Governance Program, Joe Mutah.

Hassan noted that the programme is designed to strengthen governance and institutional mechanisms in the administration of basic education and primary health in order to deliver results.

According to him, while there were other World Bank-funded reform programmes in the past, the ability to sustain these reforms and translate them into tangible results will make a significant difference in governance in the country. 

“What next? I think that question behoves us to look at ourselves in the mirror. What have we done after the precursor to this programme —SFTAS? Did we just receive the incentives and move on?” he queried.

The national coordinator stressed the need for state governments to reform their systems as a proof of concept for attracting further interventions and support from multilateral institutions.

Hassan used the occasion to commend the Enugu State Government for introducing far-reaching reforms in the administration of basic education and primary health in the state.

In his remarks, the World Bank Task Team Lead for the HOPE Governance Programme, Mr. Ikechukwu Nweje, said the World Bank chose the Programme for Result (PforR) model as a deliberate strategy to assist state governments to built the capacity of their workforce in order to sustain the reform objectives of the programme.

Nweje stated that the bank will continue to provide technical support to states in the implementation of the programme, while the National Programme Coordination Unit will engage consultants to strengthen technical assistance.

South-east Implementation Support Mission, which brought participants from states in the geopolitical zone, was declared open by the Secretary to the Enugu State Government, Prof. Chidiebere Onyia, on behalf of the state Governor, Dr. Peter Mbah.