The Managing Director of Operations at the World Bank, Anna Bjerde, is visiting Nigeria for three days to strengthen engagement on accelerating economic growth and creating jobs.
In a statement released on Sunday, the World Bank said the visit, set to begin on February 1, 2026, will explore how the World Bank Group can best support Nigeria’s reform agenda, with consultations feeding into its upcoming Country Partnership Framework for Nigeria.
The Bank noted that the new strategy prioritises jobs, energy access, and private-sector-led growth as central to Nigeria’s development objectives. Discussions during the visit will focus on gathering feedback to improve the enabling environment, unlock human capital, enhance resilience, and mobilise private investment.
“World Bank Managing Director of Operations Anna Bjerde will begin a three-day visit to Nigeria on February 1, 2026, to discuss how the World Bank Group can best support the country’s efforts to accelerate growth and job creation.
“During the visit, Ms Bjerde will meet with senior government officials, private sector leaders, and civil society organisations as part of consultations on the World Bank Group’s upcoming Country Partnership Framework for Nigeria. The new strategy places jobs, energy access, and private sector-led growth at the centre of Nigeria’s development agenda.
“The consultations will seek feedback on four areas: improving the enabling environment, unleashing human capital, building resilience, and maximising private capital,” the statement read.
The statement added that the visit will also highlight Nigeria’s role in advancing global development efforts, including Mission 300, a joint World Bank Group and African Development Bank initiative aimed at connecting 300 million Africans to electricity by 2030.
Under this programme, Nigeria’s Distributed Access through Renewable Energy Scale-up initiative is expected to provide household energy access to 17.5 million people via mini-grids and solar home systems.
The Bank said the discussions will also cover progress in digital connectivity, power sector reforms, social protection, human capital outcomes, and AgriConnect, an initiative designed to make smallholder farming a commercially viable source of jobs, higher incomes, and food security.
During her visit, Bjerde is scheduled to meet Vice President Kashim Shettima; the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun; the Central Bank of Nigeria Governor, Olayemi Cardoso; and the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu.
She will be accompanied by Ousmane Diagana, Vice President for Western and Central Africa at the World Bank; Ethiopis Tafara, Vice President for Africa at the International Finance Corporation; and Ed Mountfield, Vice President at the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency.
The World Bank noted that its active portfolio in Nigeria exceeds $16 billion, spanning education, health, social protection, energy, and infrastructure, in addition to policy advisory and institutional strengthening.
It added that the IFC’s investment portfolio in Nigeria is over $1.2 billion, focusing on diversified growth, inclusion, sustainability, and job creation, especially in energy, finance, agribusiness, and manufacturing.
As of June 30, 2025, Nigeria’s external debt stood at $46.98 billion, according to the Debt Management Office. The World Bank Group remains the country’s largest single creditor, accounting for $19.39 billion of the total, including $18.04 billion from the IDA and $1.35 billion from the IBRD.
This amounts to 41.3 per cent of Nigeria’s external debt, highlighting the Bank’s leading role in financing the country’s development projects.
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