In a renewed effort to strengthen transparency and accountability in public procurement, the World Bank–assisted Human Capital Opportunities for Prosperity and Equity Programme of the Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning has directed state governments to publish contract award information for basic education and primary healthcare procurements within 30 days after the end of each quarter.
The directive was disclosed on Monday by the National Coordinator of the HOPE-GOV Programme, Assad Hassan, during the first Implementation Support Meeting of 2026 with State Focal Persons, which was held virtually in Abuja ahead of the programme’s First Year Verification by Independent Verification Agents.
A statement issued on Tuesday by the HOPE-GOV Communications Officer, Joe Mutah, quoted Hassan as saying that the quarterly disclosures must be published on official state government websites to allow for independent verification.
He stressed that compliance with the disclosure requirement is a condition for the disbursement of incentive funds to participating states under the programme.
Hassan explained that the minimum contract award information to be disclosed includes the project name, awarding institution, award date, name of contractor, and the contract amount.
The statement read, “For MDAs without e-procurement, the Independent Verification Agents will obtain schedule of all contracts awarded above threshold (as defined in state procurement law or regulations) and confirm whether disclosures on state official website are compliant with Open Contracting Data Standard format.”
He added that for ministries, departments, and agencies operating e-procurement platforms, the verification process would focus on the availability and functionality of online portals that capture and publish procurement data throughout the procurement cycle.
“For MDAs with e-procurement, the IVAs will obtain schedule of all contracts awarded during the year before and after go-live and confirm that the State has an online portal established to record and publish data on all processes in the procurement cycle, for all transactions initiated after go-live resulting in a contract award, and confirm whether data published is in line with OCDS,” he said.
Beyond procurement disclosures, Hassan said participating states are also required to publish their 2026 citizens’ budgets for basic education and primary healthcare by February 28, 2026.
According to him, the citizens’ budgets must clearly outline revenue sources, including domestic and foreign grants and loans, total expenditures by functions of government with identifiable allocations to basic education and primary healthcare, as well as spending by programmes linked to economic classifications.
He said other required details include the budget framework showing total revenue and grants, total expenditure, budget deficit, financing gaps, sectoral and ministerial breakdowns, and lists of major capital projects with their geolocations.
Hassan further disclosed that under the HOPE-GOV framework, states are mandated to publish financial and performance audit reports for basic education and primary healthcare submitted to their respective Houses of Assembly, in line with specified timelines.
As part of efforts to strengthen payroll integrity, he said states must complete biometric capture and Bank Verification Number linkage for at least 80 per cent of workers in basic education and primary healthcare.
He explained that the exercise is aimed at identifying and eliminating ghost workers from public sector payrolls.
Hassan noted that the programme is currently engaging states to strengthen institutional arrangements to ensure diligent implementation and maximise results.
He added that about 100 participants drawn from across the 36 states of the federation took part in the virtual meeting.
The HOPE-GOV Programme is a results-based initiative supported by the World Bank to incentivise reforms in governance, service delivery, and human capital development, with a focus on improving outcomes in education and health through transparency, accountability, and performance-based financing.
The programme forms part of the Federal Government’s broader efforts to strengthen human capital development by improving governance, accountability, and service delivery in key social sectors.
By linking funding to results rather than inputs, the initiative seeks to address long-standing inefficiencies in public spending on healthcare and education, particularly at sub-national levels.
The programme also complements ongoing reforms under the Basic Health Care Provision Fund and the Universal Basic Education framework, which aim to ensure predictable financing, improved service delivery, and stronger oversight across Nigeria’s social sectors.
