World Bank backs Nigeria 2026–2032 plan with $1.25 billion to spur jobs, private investment

The World Bank Group has approved a new long-term partnership strategy for ​Nigeria alongside $1.25 billion in financing, aiming ‌to drive job creation and economic growth by unlocking private sector investment and expanding ​access to energy, digital, and agricultural ​services.

The World Bank Group approved a ⁠2026–2032 Country Partnership Framework for Nigeria ​and $1.25 billion financing package aimed at driving ​job creation through private sector–led growth.

The strategy builds on recent reforms that have lifted growth, revenues ​and reserves, and aims to translate ​gains into broader living standards.

Targets expanded access: energy ‌for ⁠32 million people, broadband for 58 million, better health and nutrition for 40 million and support for 9.5 million farmers.

Financing ​backs reforms ​to ⁠deepen capital markets, modernise digital regulation, expand electrification, ease regional ​trade, improve farm inputs and boost ​domestic ⁠revenues.

Officials say unlocking private investment and tackling structural constraints - supported by guarantees and ⁠policy ​reforms - is key to ​sustaining growth, resilience and poverty reduction.

By MacDonald Dzirutwe, Reuters

269 Nigerians return home from South Africa ahead of protest deadline

 

A total of 269 Nigerians evacuated from South Africa were airlifted to the southwestern state of Lagos on Tuesday, according to a statement by Nigeria's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Kimiebi Ebienfa, spokesperson for the ministry, said that officials from the Nigerian Mission in South Africa accompanied the group of 269 evacuees. Last Wednesday, another 66 Nigerians returned aboard a South African Airways flight arranged by a Nigerian benefactor.

Ebienfa said the evacuation process remains ongoing, with more Nigerians having been screened and cleared for repatriation in the coming days.

The returnees will undergo documentation, profiling and medical screening before receiving temporary accommodation and other assistance ahead of reunification with their families.

South Africa has recently witnessed a wave of anti-immigration protests, with organizers citing unemployment, crime and pressure on public services as major concerns.

Some anti-immigration groups have called on undocumented foreigners to leave the country by June 30 and have threatened to stage nationwide protests if their demands are not met.

The first batch of 258 Nigerian nationals evacuated from South Africa arrived in Lagos on June 11.

Xinhua

Related story: Nigeria evacuates citizens from South Africa as anti-migrant sentiment rises

More than 30 students remain missing after Nigeria school attack

At least 37 students remain missing after gunmen raided their school in northeast Nigeria, according to local officials.

The attack occurred on Monday when assailants from the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) group stormed a secondary school in the town of Lassa, in Borno State, which has faced years of violence by armed groups.

The AFP news agency reported on Tuesday that at least 37 students remain missing following the attack, which occurred while they were sitting exams.

At least three people were killed in the attack, including a soldier and a teacher, according to the military, who initially said that authorities had rescued 10 of them and that only one remained missing.

The “list of students in captivity”, showing the students’ genders and their parents’ mobile phone numbers, was shared with journalists by the area’s local government councillor, Ijagla Ijabila.

An intel source also showed AFP the same list.

Borno Commissioner for Education Lawan Abba Wakilbe told reporters in Lassa that 25 female students, 11 male students and one staff member were still being held, reported the Reuters news agency.

Abba Wakilbe added that eight people, including the school’s vice principal, have been freed.

Kidnapping for ransom, especially of students, has become a common tactic for both armed groups and non-ideological “bandit” gangs operating across the country’s conflict-hit north and centre.

While the 2014 kidnapping of hundreds of schoolgirls from the town of Chibok by members of Boko Haram remains Nigeria’s most infamous, school abductions continue to be prevalent across the country.

In May, gunmen kidnapped more than 40 pupils – who remain in captivity – from Borno State’s Mussa village.

That same month, armed men rounded up dozens of schoolchildren from three schools in Oyo State – a rare attack in southwest Nigeria, considered to be the safest region in the country.

Nigeria has been fighting an armed uprising since 2009, concentrated in the northeast.

While violence has waned since the peak of the conflict a decade ago, analysts have warned of an uptick in attacks since last year.

By AFP and Reuters

Related story: Gunmen abduct students during exams in Nigeria

Nigeria launches first mental health policy tracker to monitor implementation of reforms

Nigeria has launched its first public-facing Mental Health Policy Commitment Tracker, a digital platform designed to independently monitor implementation of the country’s mental health laws and policies amid concerns over slow progress in carrying out key reforms.

Developed by advocacy organisation Nigerian Mental Health (NMH), the tracker was officially launched virtually on Monday after an initial public unveiling in May.

NMH announced the launch in a statement sent to PREMIUM TIMES.

According to the organisation, the platform enables policymakers, researchers, civil society organisations and members of the public to monitor progress on commitments under the National Mental Health Act and related policies, including mental health financing, workforce development, treatment access and state-level reforms.

Why the tracker matters

Late President Muhammadu Buhari signed the National Mental Health Bill into law in January 2023 after two failed legislative attempts dating back to 2003.

The legislation replaced the outdated Lunacy Act and marked a major shift in Nigeria’s approach to mental healthcare by strengthening the rights of people living with mental health conditions and providing for institutions such as a Department of Mental Health Services and a Mental Health Fund.

However, more than three years later, implementation of several provisions of the law has remained slow.

According to NMH, key institutional structures required under the Act, including the Department of Mental Health, have yet to be fully established.

The organisation also said the federal government missed its December 2025 target to fully decriminalise attempted suicide, while implementation of the 2023 National Mental Health Policy and the country’s first Suicide Prevention Policy Framework has been limited.

It said these implementation gaps informed the development of the tracker, which is intended to independently verify whether mental health commitments are being translated into concrete action.

Speaking at the launch, NMH founder Chime Asonye said policy commitments should be accompanied by measurable implementation.

“Visibility must be matched by measurable execution,” he said, adding that the platform is designed to ensure commitments lead to tangible legal, institutional and service delivery outcomes.

According to NMH, the tracker serves as a public dashboard that aggregates government data, legislative updates, budget documents, verified stakeholder submissions and community-reported evidence.

Each policy commitment is assigned an implementation status, such as “Not Started, In Progress, Delayed or Completed”, allowing users to monitor progress across the federal and state levels.

The platform tracks regulatory milestones under the National Mental Health Act, as well as governance structures, budget allocations, workforce capacity, access to treatment, affordability and broader rights-based reforms.

Stakeholders back initiative

The launch brought together government officials, policymakers, researchers, civil society organisations, development partners, media practitioners and representatives of the creative industry.

Among the organisations supporting the initiative are Lagos Mind, Mind Over Matters NG, Stilt NG, Our Beta Life, the Mental Health Transformation Organisation (MHT) and Hevolve Foundation.

Mental health advocate and musician Hadiza Blell-Olo, popularly known as Di’ja, urged public figures to move beyond raising awareness by supporting partnerships that strengthen mental health reforms, noting that the tracker provides a framework for improving policy accountability.

Also speaking, the National Mental Health Coordinator at the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Tunde Ojo, said independent accountability mechanisms can help strengthen implementation and improve service delivery.

NMH said the platform is open to policymakers, practitioners, researchers and members of the public, who can submit verified implementation updates and feedback to improve transparency and support mental health reforms across the country.

By Fortune Eromonsele, Premium Times

Related story: Nigerian woman creates country's first mental health helpline

Lithium, copper reserves key to clean energy transition in Nigeria

The Federal Ministry of Solid Minerals Development has received a new report identifying Nigeria’s abundant lithium, copper and bauxite deposits as strategic resources capable of accelerating the country’s transition to clean energy and supporting domestic industrialisation.

The report, presented on Monday in Abuja by the Council for Critical Minerals Development in the Global South, outlines how Nigeria can leverage its mineral wealth to meet growing demand for renewable energy technologies while retaining more value within the country.

According to a statement by the minister’s Special Assistant on Media, Lara Owoeye-Wise, the report was formally handed over to the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, at the State House Conference Centre.

The report comes days after Mr Alake announced the discovery of what the government described as a world-class polymetallic mineral province in Kaduna State containing deposits of platinum group metals, gold, nickel, copper, lithium and rare earth elements. The minister said the discovery, verified by the Nigerian Geological Survey Agency (NGSA), ranks among the most significant developments in Nigeria’s mining sector in recent years and strengthens the country’s critical minerals potential.

The latest report examines Nigeria’s projected demand for solar photovoltaic (PV) systems, battery storage technologies and electric vehicles alongside current mineral production and trade patterns.

It concludes that the country’s deposits of lithium, copper and bauxite closely match the minerals required to support the transition to cleaner energy sources.

According to the statement, the report also identifies existing gaps in Nigeria’s mineral value chain and proposes policy measures to maximise the economic benefits of the country’s natural resources.

Roadmap for industrialisation

Receiving the report, Mr Alake said it provides practical policy guidance for Nigeria’s efforts to transform its mineral resources into a foundation for green industrial development.

“By mapping domestic demand, supply and trade patterns, this report provides mineral-specific policy pathways to leverage Nigeria’s resources for our own green industrialisation,” he said.

He added that the report aligns with the ministry’s broader objective of ensuring that Nigeria moves beyond exporting raw minerals to developing local industries that create jobs and add value to the economy.

The ministry said it will work with the Council for Critical Minerals Development in the Global South to develop a mineral-to-manufacturing localisation roadmap to increase domestic processing and manufacturing.

The partnership will also seek to attract investment from countries across the Global South and strengthen collaboration with manufacturers interested in developing clean energy industries in Nigeria.

According to the ministry, local stakeholders will also be engaged to advance green industrialisation projects linked to the country’s critical mineral resources.

The Council for Critical Minerals Development in the Global South is a partnership between Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL) and the Global South Centre for Clean Transportation at the Institute of Transportation Studies, University of California, Davis.

By Mariya Shuaibu Suleiman, Premium Times