Alausa Urges States to Unlock $552m HOPE Education Fund

The Minister of Education, Dr. Olatunji Alausa, has urged state governments to meet the necessary conditions for accessing the $552 million World Bank-supported HOPE Education Programme, aimed at strengthening education governance, enhancing teacher development and improving learning outcomes.

Dr. Alausa made the appeal during the ongoing five-day Executive Retreat for Commissioners of Education, organised by the Committee of States’ Commissioners of Education (COSCEN) in Abuja.
The Minister encouraged Commissioners to take full advantage of the World Bank-funded initiative, noting that while all 36 states are eligible to benefit, several have yet to fulfil key requirements. These include signing Subsidiary Loan Agreements (SLAs), opening designated programme accounts and meeting mandatory data reporting obligations.
He urged the Commissioners to work closely with the Federal Ministry of Education and the World Bank to satisfy the Programme-for-Results requirements, enabling their states to unlock additional resources for improved access to quality education, better learning outcomes and stronger education governance.
Representing the World Bank Country Director, the Senior Economist and Task Team Leader for the HOPE Education Programme, Mr. Shin Nomura, reaffirmed the World Bank’s commitment to supporting Nigeria’s education reform agenda through the programme.