Governors across Nigeria have expressed concern over World Bank’s delay in fulfilling its financial commitments under the Nigeria Community Action Recovery and Economic Stimulus (NG-CARES) programme, despite $2.2 billion in investments made by the 36 states.

NG CARES is a World Bank-supported initiative which stands for Nigeria COVID-19 Action Recovery and Economic Stimulus. It is designed to mitigate the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on vulnerable households and businesses. The program aims to restore livelihoods, improve food security, and support the recovery of Micro and Small Enterprises (MSEs).

The issue was raised during the meeting of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) held in Abuja on Wednesday night and continued into the early hours of Thursday.

Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu read the communiqué at the end of the meeting, which was chaired by Kwara State Governor and NGF Chairman AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq.

The forum received a presentation from the World Bank highlighting the impact of NG-CARES. Since its inception, states have collectively invested over US$2.2 billion through various delivery platforms. These investments, the bank noted, have directly benefited more than 17 million Nigerians, especially vulnerable households and small businesses recovering from economic shocks.

Despite these achievements, governors voiced concern over the World Bank’s failure to fully disburse pledged funds under NG-CARES 1.0. They stressed that the success of the programme—and its transition to a second phase—depends on honouring financial commitments made to states.

“The governors are proud of the impacts already recorded under NG-CARES. However, the programme’s continued success is being threatened by delays in expected funding,” the communiqué stated. “There is an urgent need for an amicable resolution between the World Bank and the participating states to complete NG-CARES 1.0 before moving forward with NG-CARES 2.0.”

The second phase of the programme is designed to build long-term resilience for households and micro-enterprises. State leaders emphasised that trust and timely support from development partners are critical for its sustainability.

In reaffirming their commitment to the NG-CARES agenda, the forum called on the World Bank to expedite the disbursement of outstanding funds, noting that the livelihoods of millions hang in the balance.

The governors also used the opportunity to engage with federal authorities on other national concerns, including the rising cost of food, transport inefficiencies, and infrastructure deficits, all of which they committed to addressing through coordinated action at the state and federal levels.