World Bank report affirms reform gains — Tinubu

President Bola Tinubu on Sunday welcomed the World Bank’s latest Nigeria Development Update, saying its findings, including that the poverty rate has stabilised for the first time since 2019, confirm that his economic reforms are working.

In a statement on Sunday by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the President said the October 2026 edition of the report, titled ‘Beyond the Federal Purse: How Higher Revenues Reshaped State Priorities,’ showed that the reforms were delivering results and putting the economy on a firmer footing for sustained growth.

He noted the bank’s expectation that poverty will decline gradually as gross domestic product grows faster than the population.

According to the report, the economy grew 4.2 per cent in the first half of 2026, up from 3.9 per cent in the first half of 2025, despite the impact of the conflict in the Middle East.

The bank projected growth to average at least 4.4 per cent between 2026 and 2028.

On prices, it said inflation fell from 27.6 per cent in January 2025 to 15.2 per cent in December 2025.

Higher global fuel prices linked to the Middle East conflict have since slowed the decline, but the bank said it expects inflation to ease to about 12 per cent by 2028.

The report also said the current account surplus rose to $12bn, or 7.0 per cent of GDP, in the first half of 2026, from $8.6bn a year earlier.

Gross external reserves increased from $45.5bn at the end of 2025 to $53.8bn at the end of August 2026.

The bank credited the reforms since 2023 with raising federation revenues by 69 per cent in real terms between 2023 and 2025, with states the largest beneficiaries.

It said states used the extra resources to increase capital spending by 151 per cent in real terms over the same period, most of it going to roads and other transport, agriculture, energy and housing.

Twenty-nine of 33 states shifted spending towards economic infrastructure, while real social spending per person rose in all but one state, the report said.

It also found that internally generated revenue grew in real terms in 31 of 35 states; 21 states reduced their debt-to-GDP ratio between 2021 and 2025; and Nigeria’s overall public debt is expected to fall from 40.0 per cent of GDP in 2025 to 38.1 per cent in 2026.

Tinubu said the findings confirmed that “the difficult but necessary decisions to remove the petrol subsidy, unify the foreign exchange market and strengthen fiscal discipline have raised revenues, stabilised the economy and created fiscal space for every tier of government to invest in its people.”

“The dividends of reform are becoming visible,” he said, adding, “But more work remains to ensure they fully translate into better living standards for every household, starting with lower food prices and decent jobs for our young people.”

He said his administration would “stay the course of reform and redouble its focus on inclusive growth under the Renewed Hope Agenda.”

Tinubu promised to keep expanding targeted cash transfers, which he said had already reached more than 10 million households.

He also pledged to accelerate the rollout of Compressed Natural Gas, raise agricultural productivity, and improve access to affordable healthcare and quality education “so that the prosperity being created is shared by all.

President Tinubu urged state governments to use their higher revenues “more prudently” and to prioritise projects that improve living standards and the health and education of residents.

He commended the Economic Management Team, led by the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, as well as state governors and other stakeholders, for their cooperation in implementing the reforms.

He said, “I assure Nigerians that the best is yet to come under the Renewed Hope Agenda 2.0, which will accelerate the delivery of shared prosperity for all Nigerians.(Punch)