President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved a ₦17 billion Community-Based National Social Action Fund to drive grassroots development across Nigeria’s 8,804 wards.
The initiative, according to a statement by the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare on Wednesday, will support community-led projects tailored to local needs, with each ward engaging verified organisations to implement priority interventions.
The government said the programme builds on earlier reforms, including the Social Action Fund introduced in September 2023 and a Community-Based Procurement Platform approved in January 2026 to ease access for community organisations to execute projects valued at up to ₦50 million.
A project timeline commencing March 1, 2026, has been set, with implementation expected to run through December 2026. A Programme Management Unit will be domiciled in the Sector-Wide Approach (SWAp) Coordination Office of the ministry to oversee execution.
To fund the initiative, the Federal Ministry of Finance and the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation have been directed to release ₦17 billion into a dedicated intervention account to cover implementation, monitoring and accountability.
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Ali Pate, said the programme signals a shift towards community-driven development.
He explained that the approach would enable communities to identify and implement projects that directly address their needs, including nutrition support, provision of essential health commodities and minor infrastructure improvements in schools and health facilities.
In a related development, Tinubu also approved the upgrade of the National Tuberculosis and Leprosy Training Centre in Zaria to a National Institute of Public Health and Infectious Diseases.
The government said the upgrade is aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s disease surveillance, emergency preparedness and response capacity, in line with the administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda.