The World Bank has approved $300 million in financing to strengthen resilience and expand access to essential services for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and their host communities in Northern Nigeria.
In a statement on Monday, World Bank Nigeria said the financing, approved on August 7, 2025, will fund the Solutions for the Internally Displaced and Host Communities Project (SOLID). The initiative targets selected Local Government Areas (LGAs) hardest hit by conflict-driven displacement.
The project is expected to benefit up to 7.4 million people, including about 1.3 million IDPs, by adopting an integrated development strategy aligned with Nigeria’s long-term development vision.
According to the Bank, conflict and insecurity in the region have displaced over 3.5 million people, placing enormous pressure on infrastructure and public services in host communities. The influx of displaced persons has intensified competition for resources, reduced livelihood opportunities, and heightened vulnerability to natural disasters such as flooding.
The SOLID project builds on Nigerian government initiatives, past international support, and the earlier Multi-Sectoral Crisis Recovery Project (MCRP), which focused on short-term recovery.
It will prioritize:
“We are glad to support this initiative, which has tremendous potential to help Nigeria address development challenges associated with protracted displacement in a sustainable way,” said Mathew Verghis, World Bank Country Director for Nigeria. He added that the project’s integrated approach will help shift IDPs and host communities from humanitarian dependence to self-reliance and resilience.
Task Team Leaders Fuad Malkawi and Christopher Johnson described the initiative as critical to tackling Northern Nigeria’s displacement crisis, bridging infrastructure gaps, and improving strained service delivery systems.
Data from the Debt Management Office (DMO) shows Nigeria’s total debt to the World Bank climbed to $18.23 billion as of March 31, 2025, up $420 million from $17.81 billion in December 2024. The increase was driven by borrowings from the International Development Association (IDA), the Bank’s concessional lending arm.
The World Bank Group now accounts for 39.7% of Nigeria’s total external debt of $45.98 billion in Q1 2025, and 81.2% of total multilateral debt, underscoring its pivotal role in Nigeria’s financing framework.