By Abasi Ita
President Bola Tinubu has approved a ₦17 billion Community Based National Social Action Fund to drive grassroots development across Nigeria’s 8,804 political wards.
The initiative is aimed at strengthening local participation in service delivery and improving socio economic conditions at the community level.
Details of the programme were contained in a statement issued in Abuja by the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare through its Assistant Director of Information and Public Relations, Ado Bako.
According to the ministry, the fund will be implemented through a dedicated task force to coordinate community driven interventions nationwide.
Under the arrangement, each ward will collaborate with a verified community based organisation to identify and execute priority projects tailored to local needs.
“The initiative will deploy community driven interventions tailored to local needs, with each ward engaging a verified community based entity or association to implement priority projects,” the statement said.
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Pate, described the programme as a shift toward decentralised development.
“This approach places communities at the centre of development. By enabling each ward to identify and implement its priority needs, we are unlocking practical solutions that directly improve livelihoods and strengthen service delivery where it matters most,” he said.
He explained that the interventions would address urgent needs at the grassroots, including nutrition support, provision of essential health commodities such as micronutrients and therapeutic foods, as well as minor upgrades to schools, health facilities and sanitation systems.
Implementation of the programme is scheduled to run from March to December 2026, with oversight provided by a Programme Management Unit under the ministry’s Sector Wide Approach Coordination Office.
The government said the ₦17 billion allocation would be lodged in a ring fenced intervention account managed by the Federal Ministry of Finance and the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation to ensure accountability and transparency.
The task force overseeing the initiative will be chaired by the health minister and include representatives from key government agencies, including finance, humanitarian services, procurement and anti corruption bodies.
The fund builds on earlier reforms such as the Social Action Fund established in 2023 and the Community Based Procurement Platform introduced in January 2026 to improve access for community organisations to execute projects.
Analysts say the success of the initiative will depend largely on effective monitoring and transparency mechanisms to prevent misuse of funds, especially in rural and underserved communities where development gaps remain significant.
In a related development, the President also approved the upgrade of the National Tuberculosis and Leprosy Training Centre in Zaria to the National Institute of Public Health and Infectious Diseases.
The ministry said the new institute would enhance Nigeria’s capacity for disease surveillance, emergency preparedness and rapid response, while also serving as a hub for research, training and workforce development in public health.