Nigeria is hosting senior World Bank officials this week for high-level talks focused on accelerating economic growth, job creation and private investment, as Africa’s largest economy pushes ahead with reforms aimed at stabilising public finances and boosting productivity.
Anna Bjerde, the World Bank’s Managing Director of Operations, began a three-day visit on Sunday, the Bank said in a statement, as part of consultations on its forthcoming Country Partnership Framework (CPF) for Nigeria, which will shape the lender’s engagement with the country in the coming years.
The World Bank said the new strategy places job creation, energy access and private-sector-led growth at the centre of Nigeria’s development priorities, reflecting the country’s need to absorb a rapidly growing labour force amid high unemployment and underemployment.
“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,” the statement said.
During the visit, Bjerde is expected to meet senior government officials, private sector leaders and civil society organisations, with discussions feeding into the final design of the CPF.
The consultations will focus on four priority areas: improving the enabling environment for business, unleashing human capital, building economic resilience and maximising private capital mobilisation, the Bank said.
Nigeria, which emerged from recession in recent years but continues to face inflationary pressures, currency volatility and fiscal constraints, has embarked on reforms aimed at restoring investor confidence and strengthening public institutions.
The World Bank said the talks would also underscore Nigeria’s role in advancing global development initiatives, including Mission 300, a joint World Bank Group and African Development Bank programme that aims to connect 300 million Africans to electricity by 2030.
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Under Mission 300, Nigeria’s Distributed Access through Renewable Energy Scaleup (DARES) programme is expected to provide electricity to 17.5 million people, primarily through mini-grids and solar home systems, helping to address one of the country’s most persistent bottlenecks to growth.
Beyond energy access, discussions will cover progress on digital connectivity, power sector reforms, social protection systems and human capital outcomes, the Bank said.
The agenda also includes AgriConnect, an initiative designed to transform smallholder farming into a commercially viable source of jobs, higher incomes and improved food security, as Nigeria seeks to diversify away from oil and strengthen its agricultural value chains.
Bjerde is scheduled to meet Vice President Kashim Shettima, Finance Minister and Coordinating Minister of the Economy Wale Edun, Central Bank Governor Olayemi Cardoso, and Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, among other officials.
She will be accompanied by Ousmane Diagana, World Bank Vice President for Western and Central Africa; Ethiopis Tafara, Vice President for Africa at the International Finance Corporation (IFC); and Ed Mountfield, Vice President at the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA), reflecting the World Bank Group’s emphasis on combining public financing with private investment and risk guarantees.
The World Bank said its active portfolio in Nigeria exceeds $16 billion, spanning education, health, social protection, energy and infrastructure projects, alongside policy advisory services and institutional capacity building.
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The IFC’s investment portfolio in Nigeria stands at over $1.2 billion, with a focus on energy, financial services, agribusiness and manufacturing, aimed at supporting inclusive growth, sustainability and job creation.
Nigeria remains one of the World Bank Group’s largest borrowers globally. As of June 30, 2025, the country’s external debt stood at $46.98 billion, according to Nigeria’s Debt Management Office.
The World Bank Group is Nigeria’s largest single creditor, accounting for $19.39 billion of the total external debt, comprising $18.04 billion from the International Development Association (IDA) and $1.35 billion from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD).
The talks come as Nigeria seeks to balance development financing needs with debt sustainability, while unlocking private capital to support long-term growth and employment.
