The Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) has reaffirmed its strong partnership with the World Bank as it advances its bold economic reform agenda. On Monday, a high-level World Bank delegation led by Mr. Ousmane Diagana, Vice President for Western and Central Africa, met with the Honourable Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr. Wale Edun, to discuss ongoing collaboration and support for President Bola Tinubu’s development priorities.
Mr. Diagana commended Nigeria’s recent GDP growth of 3.4%—the strongest since 2014—and acknowledged the government’s progress in stabilising the macroeconomic environment and improving portfolio performance. He emphasized the importance of sustaining reform momentum to drive inclusive, job-creating growth, noting that Nigeria remains the World Bank’s largest portfolio in Africa, with total commitments nearing $17 billion.
He also praised Nigeria’s leadership in the M300 initiative, a continental effort to provide energy access to 300 million people, and encouraged accelerated implementation of social protection programmes—particularly targeted cash transfers—following recent high-level consultations with World Bank President Ajay Banga.
In response, the Coordinating Minister of the Economy reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to delivering results. He emphasised the need to improve project delivery timelines, expand biometric verification for individuals on the National Social Register, and intensify the implementation of the M300 Compact. To support these efforts, he announced the establishment of a Compact Delivery and Monitoring Unit and requested a comprehensive status update to help ensure Nigeria sets new records in project approval and execution.
The meeting also underscored shared priorities, including increasing agricultural productivity, expanding access to finance for small and medium-sized enterprises, enhancing digital transformation, and driving broader financial inclusion.
This renewed engagement signals strong momentum in the FGN–World Bank partnership as Nigeria pushes forward with its drive toward sustainable growth, resilience, and inclusive development