World Bank Approves $2.2bn Grant for Nigeria, Targets Lifting 100m Out of Poverty
POLITICS DIGEST – The World Bank has approved $2.2 billion to finance six projects that will support human capital and economic development in Nigeria.
In 2020, the funds will go into immunization, digital economy expansion, the creation of jobs and public and private sector governance.
According to the lender, the financial support aims to lift 100 million Nigerians out of poverty.
The funds will come from the International Development Association (IDA), the French Development Agency, the European Investment Bank and the federal government of Nigeria.
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Shubham Chaudhuri, the World Banks’s country director for Nigeria, says the six projects would focus mainly on delivering better services to Nigerians.
Per his statement, the lender wants to make sure there are better roads in rural areas, more intensive medical care for children and the provision unique identification for the poorest people to make social safety nets and services more effective.
The funding comes at a time when Africa’s rising debt narrative is driving a wedge between the World Bank and other lenders, including the African Development Bank (AfDB).
Much spotlight has been shed on the continent’s debt profile, as World Chief David Malpass blamed multilateral institutions for lending to quickly.
This new WB loan pushes Nigeria’s domestic and foreign debt to more than $80 billion. The support also comes barely a year after the same lender gave Africa’s largest economy $2.4 billion.
