The World Bank is expected to greenlight a $250 million health intervention loan for Nigeria by September 23, 2025, as part of its third-phase Health Security Programme covering Western and Central Africa.
According to an official appraisal document released by the bank, the loan is designed to strengthen Nigeria’s capacity to prevent, detect, and respond to public health emergencies through improved collaboration, infrastructure, and preparedness.
The funding, to be issued under the International Development Association (IDA) credit line, will be implemented by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), with the Federal Ministry of Finance acting as borrower.
The document highlights Nigeria’s critical health indicators, noting that the nation records over 800,000 child deaths and 80,000 maternal deaths annually. Life expectancy is pegged at just 54 years, while six of the ten leading causes of death are communicable diseases like malaria, HIV/AIDS, and tuberculosis.
The health sector’s fragility is further compounded by low government spending, standing at just 0.62% of GDP, with per capita expenditure on healthcare around $14, of which less than $3 is allocated to primary care. Consequently, out-of-pocket payments by Nigerians have soared to 76.24%, one of the highest globally.
The World Bank estimates that over 120 million Nigerians lived below the poverty line in 2024. The combination of poverty, weak health infrastructure, and limited disease response capacity paints a worrying picture.
The proposed loan will fund projects such as:
- Expansion of emergency operations centres in all 36 states and the FCT
- Development of a national warehouse for emergency medical supplies
- Enhancement of pharmaceutical regulation and promotion of local drug manufacturing
- Strengthening of surveillance systems, both human and animal, through platforms like SORMAS and NADIS
- Investment in ICT tools, epidemiological training, and community-level healthcare
The World Bank’s 2023 Joint External Evaluation showed improvement in Nigeria’s health preparedness score (54%, up from 39% in 2017), but highlighted continued weaknesses in legal frameworks, logistics, and subnational response coordination.
To improve performance, the project will also encourage greater participation of women in public health leadership, aiming to correct the gender disparities observed during previous health emergencies such as COVID-19 and Ebola.
The NCDC will lead the implementation through a National Project Coordination Unit, with a Steering Committee comprising health, finance, and environmental ministries. State-level coordination will be led by respective health commissioners, and only states fulfilling key eligibility criteria will qualify for participation.
Meanwhile, the Debt Management Office (DMO) reported that as of March 31, 2025, Nigeria’s debt to the World Bank had climbed to $18.23 billion, accounting for nearly 40% of the nation’s total external debt.
Of this, $16.99 billion comes from the IDA, while $1.24 billion is owed to the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), further highlighting the World Bank’s central role in Nigeria’s external financing portfolio.
