President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima on Tuesday held a closed-door meeting with a high-level delegation from the World Bank at the State House in Abuja, underscoring ongoing engagements between Nigeria and the global financial institution. The delegation was led by the World Bank’s Managing Director of Operations, Anna Bjerde.
The meeting was confirmed by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, in a post shared on X (formerly Twitter). While official details of the discussions were not immediately disclosed, the presence of top government officials and senior World Bank representatives suggests talks around development financing, economic reforms, and ongoing partnerships.
Okay News understands that the visit comes amid intensified interactions between Nigerian subnational governments and the World Bank, particularly around infrastructure development, fiscal reforms, and social intervention programmes. The engagement at the State House is seen as part of broader efforts by the Tinubu administration to strengthen cooperation with international development partners.
The Abuja meeting follows a similar engagement just days earlier in Lagos, where Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu hosted a World Bank delegation led by Anna Bjerde. That Lagos meeting also included Ethiopia Tafara, the International Finance Corporation (IFC) Regional Vice President for Africa, highlighting a coordinated approach between federal and state authorities in dealing with global financial institutions.
Although no formal communiqué has been released, analysts believe the discussions may touch on Nigeria’s economic recovery plans, funding for priority sectors, and strategies to address fiscal and development challenges facing Africa’s largest economy.
