The Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning's Human Capital Opportunities for Prosperity and Equity Programme, which is supported by the World Bank, has instructed state governments to release contract award details for basic education and primary healthcare procurements within 30 days following the conclusion of each quarter in an effort to improve accountability and transparency in public procurement.

Prior to the program's First Year Verification by Independent Verification Agents, Assad Hassan, the National Coordinator of the HOPE-GOV Program, revealed the directive on Monday during the first Implementation Support Meeting of 2026 with State Focal Persons, which was conducted virtually in Abuja.

According to Hassan, the quarterly reports must be posted on official state government websites in order to enable independent verification, according to a statement released on Tuesday by HOPE-GOV Communications Officer Joe Mutah.

He emphasised that payment of incentive cash to participating states under the scheme is contingent upon compliance with the disclosure requirement.

According to Hassan, the project name, awarding institution, award date, contractor name, and contract amount are the minimal contract award details that must be provided.

The statement read, “For MDAs without e-procurement, the Independent Verification Agents will obtain schedule of all contracts awarded above threshold (as defined in state procurement law or regulations) and confirm whether disclosures on state official website are compliant with Open Contracting Data Standard format.”

He added that for ministries, departments, and agencies operating e-procurement platforms, the verification process would focus on the availability and functionality of online portals that capture and publish procurement data throughout the procurement cycle.

“For MDAs with e-procurement, the IVAs will obtain schedule of all contracts awarded during the year before and after go-live and confirm that the State has an online portal established to record and publish data on all processes in the procurement cycle, for all transactions initiated after go-live resulting in a contract award, and confirm whether data published is in line with OCDS,” he said.

Beyond procurement disclosures, Hassan said participating states are also required to publish their 2026 citizens’ budgets for basic education and primary healthcare by February 28, 2026.

According to him, the citizens’ budgets must clearly outline revenue sources, including domestic and foreign grants and loans, total expenditures by functions of government with identifiable allocations to basic education and primary healthcare, as well as spending by programmes linked to economic classifications.

He said other required details include the budget framework showing total revenue and grants, total expenditure, budget deficit, financing gaps, sectoral and ministerial breakdowns, and lists of major capital projects with their geolocations.

Hassan further disclosed that under the HOPE-GOV framework, states are mandated to publish financial and performance audit reports for basic education and primary healthcare submitted to their respective Houses of Assembly, in line with specified timelines.

As part of efforts to strengthen payroll integrity, he said states must complete biometric capture and Bank Verification Number linkage for at least 80 per cent of workers in basic education and primary healthcare.

He clarified that the goal of the effort is to find and remove ghost personnel from payrolls in the public sector.

According to Hassan, the initiative is now working with governments to improve institutional structures in order to guarantee careful execution and optimise outcomes.

He continued by saying that the virtual gathering was attended by roughly 100 people from all 36 of the federation's states.

With an emphasis on enhancing outcomes in education and health through transparency, accountability, and performance-based financing, the World Bank supports the HOPE-GOV Programme, a results-based effort that encourages reforms in governance, service delivery, and human capital development.

Additionally, the program supports continuing changes under the Universal Basic Education framework and the Basic Health Care Provision Fund, which seek to provide stable funding, better service delivery, and more robust monitoring throughout Nigeria's social sectors..