The World Bank has allocated $40m to support the expansion of financial protection for poor and vulnerable Nigerians under a new loan-backed health programme approved for the country.
The loan project, which was approved on September 26, 2024, by the World Bank, includes a $500m credit facility from the International Development Association and a $70.01m grant from the Global Financing Facility.
The programme, officially titled Human Capital Opportunities for Prosperity and Equality – Health Programme-for-Results (HOPE-Health-PforR), is expected to run until June 30, 2029.
According to a World Bank document, the $40m allocation is tied to Disbursement Linked Indicator 3 (DLI 3) of the programme, which seeks to increase financial protection for poor Nigerians through health insurance and related schemes.
The indicator, titled “Financial protection for poor and vulnerable populations increased (number)”, is structured under a performance-based model. This means the $40m will only be disbursed to the Federal Government, which will then be released to qualifying states if specific targets are met and verified.
The allocation forms part of Result Area 2 of the HOPE-Health programme, which focuses on improving utilisation of essential services. A total of $272.5m has been committed to this result area, comprising $239m in IDA funding and $33.5m in grants.
The report by Punch newspaper quoted the World Bank as saying that the DLI is both scalable and time-bound, meaning disbursements are tied to timelines and the level of implementation.
It added that the overall objective of the HOPE-Health programme is to improve access to and utilisation of quality essential healthcare services while building resilience across Nigeria’s health system.