The North-East recorded the strongest implementation performance among regions benefiting from African Development Bank (AfDB)-funded projects in Nigeria, as the bank’s total investment portfolio in the country climbed to $6.2 billion in 2025.
This was contained in AfDB’s 2025 Country Portfolio Performance Review for Nigeria, which evaluated 53 active projects spread across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
The projects cover key sectors including transportation, agriculture, power, healthcare, water supply, education and private sector development.
According to the report, the largest regional intervention was the Inclusive Basic Service Delivery and Livelihood Empowerment Programme in the North-East, valued at $259.5 million.
The initiative spans Borno, Adamawa, Bauchi, Gombe and Taraba states, targeting improvements in healthcare, sanitation, education, nutrition, water supply and economic empowerment for women and vulnerable groups.
AfDB disclosed that the programme achieved major milestones during the review period.
The report stated that:
- 45 out of 60 health facilities had either been completed or were close to completion.
- More than 18,000 school children received uniforms, furniture and educational materials.
- 1,105 MSMEs benefitted from support programmes.
- 1,507 women-led agribusiness groups received assistance.
- 3,268 vulnerable individuals were supported through cash transfers and productive assets.
In contrast, the South-East experienced slower project implementation despite securing substantial approvals.
AfDB revealed that projects clearly linked to the region received approvals worth about $171.3 million, but only $30.93 million had been disbursed by December 2025.
Among the projects, the Ebonyi State Ring Road Project showed stronger progress, recording disbursement of approximately $29.6 million from its approved $54.6 million funding.
However, the Abia State Integrated Infrastructure Project witnessed minimal progress, with just about $0.13 million released from its total approved funding of $115 million.
The report added that the Abia Integrated Infrastructure Study performed relatively better, receiving $1.2 million out of its approved $1.7 million allocation.
AfDB further noted that the Agro-Industrial Processing Zones Phase I programme remained delayed at the contract award stage as of the second quarter of 2026.
Enugu State also received technical support under the implementation framework of Nigeria’s Electricity Act.
Using the review exchange rate of N1,473 to one dollar, the bank estimated total project approvals in the South-East at about N252.3 billion, while actual disbursement stood at roughly N45.6 billion.
Overall, AfDB said Nigeria’s portfolio disbursement rate stood at 53 percent by the end of 2025.
The bank also reported improvement in project performance nationwide, noting that “flagged operations” — projects considered vulnerable to delays, cost overruns or failure to achieve objectives — dropped from 42 percent in January 2025 to 25 percent in December 2025.
According to AfDB, the improvement was driven by tighter monitoring involving the bank, the Federal Ministry of Finance and implementing agencies.
The report identified major obstacles affecting project delivery, including procurement bottlenecks, delayed project take-off, insufficient counterpart funding and slow disbursement procedures.
AfDB explained that although the South-East secured major infrastructure approvals, many projects were still in early phases and had not yet translated into visible development on the ground.
By comparison, the North-East achieved stronger outcomes because several projects had already advanced into active implementation stages.
The report listed November 30, 2026 as the expected completion date for the Ebonyi Ring Road Project, while the Inclusive Basic Service Delivery Programme in the North-East is scheduled for completion in December.
Overall, the review showed that the North-East recorded the most visible project delivery progress during the period under assessment, while implementation challenges continued to slow project execution in the South-East.
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