The Ministry of Finance, Budget, and National Planning’s Home Finance Department has received $5.6 million from the World Bank to procure 21 items, including office stationeries, furniture, solar inverters, office equipment, and vehicles. 

This allocation falls under the State Fiscal Transparency, Accountability, and Sustainability project, initiated in 2018 to enhance transparency and accountability at the sub-national level, officially concluding in 2022, although ongoing projects continue.

The World Bank committed a total of $1.5 billion to the SFTAS project in two installments of $750 million (December 2018 and December 2020). 

According to a report on The Punch, the money is a grant to state governments, it also functions as a loan to the Federal Government. 

The procurement plan, aligning with the World Bank’s guidelines, covers the period from February 2019 to August 2020.

The Home Finance Department received varying amounts for different purposes, such as $25,713 for office stationery and supplies and $39,357 for additional office equipment and supplies for the SFTAS Programme Coordinating Unit. 

The furniture-related allocations included $64,190 for furnishing the SFTAS Public Service Institute space, $14,842 for additional office furniture, and $19,368 for additional office equipment and furniture for the Debt Management Office.

The department also secured $24,038 for video conferencing equipment and MiFi modems. 

The most significant allocation, $4.78 million, was for providing spatial data to states. 

Additionally, $409,638 was allocated for project vehicles, and spending occurred on an Inverter Power Backup System for the SFTAS Programme Coordinating Unit.

Out of the proposed 21 items, two were cancelled, four completed, one under implementation, three pending, and 11 projects were signed as of December 2023. 

Nigeria, having received $2.9 billion in fresh loans from the World Bank in 2022, currently services about $14.12 billion from 108 approved loans. 

The SFTAS project’s Communications Specialist emphasized that procurement is a regular procedure to obtain items necessary for project implementation, ensuring effective project execution.