World Bank OKs $300m to Support IDPs, Host Communities in Northern Nigeria

The World Bank has approved $300 million for Nigeria to boost resilience and expand essential services for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and their host communities across conflict-affected LGAs in the North. The financing, cleared on August 7, 2025, will fund the Solutions for the Internally Displaced and Host Communities Project (SOLID), expected to reach up to 7.4 million people, including about 1.3 million IDPs.

According to the Bank, years of insecurity have displaced over 3.5 million people, straining local infrastructure and services, heightening competition for scarce resources, and increasing vulnerability to climate shocks such as flooding.

What SOLID will do

• Build and maintain climate-resilient infrastructure
• Promote social cohesion through participatory planning and economic cooperatives
• Provide livelihoods support for IDPs and host communities
• Strengthen institutions to manage displacement-driven demographic pressures

World Bank Country Director for Nigeria Mathew Verghis said the program aims to move communities from humanitarian dependence to self-reliance and resilience, aligning with the National IDP Policy and Nigeria’s long-term development vision. Task Team Leads Fuad Malkawi and Christopher Johnson described the operation as central to closing infrastructure and service delivery gaps in overstretched host areas. Implementation will be community-driven and coordinated across federal, state, and local governments with international partners.

Debt context
Data from Nigeria’s Debt Management Office show the country’s outstanding obligations to the World Bank rose to $18.23bn as of March 31, 2025 (from $17.81bn in December 2024). Of this, IDA loans increased to $16.99bn, while IBRD remained $1.24bn. The World Bank Group now accounts for 39.7% of Nigeria’s $45.98bn external debt and 81.2% of total multilateral debt ($22.43bn).