By Emmanuel Babafemi
July 17, 2026
President Bola Tinubu has launched the $552 million Human Capital Opportunities for Prosperity and Equity, Education (HOPE, EDU) programme, a landmark basic education initiative.
The programme is co financed by the World Bank and the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) to improve learning outcomes, expand access to quality schooling and strengthen Nigeria’s education system.
The programme is expected to directly benefit about 29 million children, more than 500,000 teachers, 65,000 public schools, and 10,000 non formal learning centres across the country.
Speaking at the launch in Abuja on Thursday, Tinubu described the initiative as a major investment in Nigeria’s future, saying it would help transform the country’s education sector while equipping millions of children with the skills needed for national development.
The President said HOPE, EDU is a central component of his administration’s human capital development agenda and is designed to convert ongoing economic reforms into measurable improvements in education, livelihoods and social welfare.
According to Tinubu, the education programme forms part of a broader 3.05 billion dollar package of five World Bank supported programmes aimed at reducing poverty, strengthening healthcare, improving governance and building resilient communities across Nigeria.
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“These programmes are not separate efforts, they are one coordinated national strategy for poverty reduction, human capital development and community resilience,” the President said.
The World Bank approved the HOPE, EDU project in March 2025, providing 500 million dollars through the International Development Association, while the Global Partnership for Education contributed an additional 52.18 million dollar grant, bringing the total financing to about 552 million dollars.
The programme became effective in February 2026 and focuses on improving foundational literacy and numeracy, expanding equitable access to basic education, strengthening teacher quality, improving school governance and enhancing education service delivery across participating states.
HOPE, EDU is one of three programmes under the Human Capital Opportunities for Prosperity and Equity (HOPE) framework.
The other components, HOPE, GOV and HOPE, PHC, are designed to strengthen governance and primary healthcare respectively.
Together with NG, CARES Additional Financing and the Solutions for the Internally Displaced and Host Communities (SOLID) programme, the five initiatives represent a coordinated 3.05 billion dollar investment in poverty reduction, human capital development and community resilience.
Education experts believe the programme will help improve learning outcomes, strengthen public education institutions, enhance teacher capacity and address Nigeria’s persistent challenge of millions of out of school children, while supporting the country’s long term economic growth through sustained investment in human capital.
