World Bank Managing visits Nigeria to deepen partnership on growth, job creation

By Onu Okorie

The 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 organizations as part of consultations on the World Bank Group’s upcoming Country Partnership Framework (CPF) for Nigeria. The new strategy places jobs, energy access, and private sector-led growth at the center of Nigeria’s development agenda. The consultations will seek feedback on four areas: improving the enabling environment, unleashing human capital, building resilience, and maximizing private capital.

The visit will also underscore Nigeria’s central role in advancing global development priorities. This includes flagship initiatives such as Mission 300—through which the Nigeria DARES program* aims to connect 17.5 million people with household energy access— and AgriConnect, designed to transform smallholder farming into a commercially viable engine for jobs, higher incomes, and global food security. Discussions will further address progress on digital connectivity, power sector reforms, social protection, and human capital outcomes.

Ms. Bjerde is scheduled to meet with H.E. Vice President Kashim Shettima; Wale Edun, Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy; Olayemi Cardoso, Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria,; and Babajide SanwoOlu, Governor of Lagos State.

She will be joined on the visit by Ousmane Diagana, World Bank Vice President for Western and Central Africa; Ethiopis Tafara, International Finance Corporation Vice President for Africa; and Ed Mountfield, Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency Vice President.

*Mission 300 is a World Bank Group– and AfDB led initiative aimed at connecting 300 million Africans to affordable, reliable electricity by 2030, with a strong focus on expanding renewable energy and last mile access.

“The Nigeria Distributed Access through Renewable Energy Scaleup (DARES) project is a US$750 million World Bank operation designed to expand clean, reliable electricity access to over 17.5 million Nigerians through distributed renewable energy solutions such as Mini grids and solar home systems.”

In Nigeria, the World Bank provides large-scale concessional financing for development programs at both the federal and state levels; with an active portfolio of over US$16 billion spread across several interventions ranging from education, health, social protection, energy, and infrastructure. The World Bank also provides support beyond financing through analytics, upstream policy advisory, and institutional strengthening.

IFC’s investment portfolio in Nigeria stands at over US$1.2 billion. IFC’s strategic objectives in Nigeria are aimed at supporting diversified growth, enhancing inclusion, and promoting sustainability and job creation. IFC’s work in Nigeria boosts universal energy access and green energy adoption, fosters increased access to finance for micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) through financial intermediaries, supports agribusiness and manufacturing to enhance food security, meet domestic needs, and grow exports.