State Governments in the country are to commence the quarterly publication of contract award information in the basic education and primary healthcare sectors under a collaboration between the Federal Government and the World Bank.
The initiative is being implemented through the World Bank–assisted Human Capital Opportunities for Prosperity and Equity (HOPE-GOV) Programme of the Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, as part of efforts to promote transparency and accountability in public procurement.
The National Coordinator of the HOPE-GOV Programme, Dr. Assad Hassan, disclosed this during the first Implementation Support Meeting for 2026 with State Focal Persons, held virtually in Abuja, ahead of the first-year verification exercise by Independent Verification Agents (IVAs).
Dr. Hassan explained that States are required to publish contract award details within 30 days after the end of each quarter on their official websites to enable verification by IVAs, a key condition for the disbursement of incentive funds.
He listed the minimum contract award information to include the project name, awarding institution, award date, name of contractor, and contract amount.
According to him, for Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) without e-procurement systems, IVAs will obtain schedules of contracts awarded above approved thresholds and verify compliance with the Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS).
“For MDAs with e-procurement platforms, IVAs will confirm the existence of functional online portals that publish procurement data across the entire procurement cycle in line with OCDS requirements”.
Dr. Hassan further stated that States must publish their 2026 Citizens’ Budget for basic education and primary healthcare on or before 28 February 2026.
He said the Citizens’ Budget must contain key details such as sources of revenue, grants and loans, total expenditure by government functions, identifiable allocations for basic education and primary healthcare, budget framework, financing gaps, sectoral expenditure breakdowns, and lists of major capital projects with their geolocations.
The National Coordinator also noted that States are required to publish financial and performance audit reports for basic education and primary healthcare submitted to State Houses of Assembly, in line with stipulated timelines under the programme.
Additionally, he disclosed that States must complete the biometric and Bank Verification Number (BVN) capture of at least 80 per cent of basic education and primary healthcare workers and link the data to payroll systems to eliminate ghost workers.
Dr. Hassan said engagements are ongoing with States to strengthen institutional frameworks for effective implementation of the HOPE-GOV Programme and ensure optimal results.
No fewer than 100 participants from all States of the federation took part in the virtual meeting.
PR: Adam Yusuf
