By Nkechinyere Ewa
A coalition of civil society organisations in Ebonyi State has criticised the state government over its failure to qualify for the World Bank’s performance-based HOPE Governance Programme incentive grant, urging greater transparency and accountability in public financial management.
In a statement in Abakaliki on Thursday, the coalition, led by Prof. Joseph Agbo, said Ebonyi was among the states that failed to meet the governance and reform benchmarks required to access the World Bank-supported programme, under which 19 states shared about $27 million.
The coalition attributed the state’s failure to shortcomings in fiscal transparency, delayed publication of key budget documents, weak public financial reporting, poor capital budget implementation, rising debt obligations and heavy dependence on federal allocations.
It also raised concerns over procurement processes, debt management and the non-publication of some fiscal documents, calling on the state government to strengthen financial governance and improve public access to budget information.
The group urged Governor Francis Nwifuru’s administration to prioritise reforms that would enhance accountability, improve budget execution, boost internally generated revenue and restore public confidence in the management of state finances.
The coalition further called for stronger legislative oversight of public borrowing and procurement to improve the state’s eligibility for future development funding opportunities.
