The World Bank has lauded the post insurgency recovery and infrastructure development programmes initiated by the Borno government.
The World Bank Country Director, Dr Ndiame Diop, stated this during a courtesy visit to Gov. Babagana Zulum, on Monday in Maiduguri.
Diop, who lauded the technical education and critical infrastructure development programmes, pledged more support to stimulate sustainable social and economic transformation of the state.
He said the delegation including senior education specialists and project leaders were impressed by the state’s recovery efforts in most critical sectors.
“We visited two technical schools offering eight different skills, a beautifully set up day school, and a flood damaged school where rehabilitation efforts were already underway.
“The level of commitment we observed is commendable, and we are happy to support these processes,” Diop said.
He also acknowledged the impact of World Bank’s projects such as the Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment (AGILE), and the Better Education Service Delivery for All (BESDA) in rebuilding schools and empowering vulnerable populations.
Diop assured of the bank continued partnership with the state, stressing that such sustained collaboration would tackle Borno’s unique challenges.
“Borno is critical to Nigeria’s development, and we will continue to support your efforts in education, health, agriculture, and recovery from insurgency and climate-related challenges,” he said.
Earlier, Zulum said the decade-long Boko Haram insurgency caused colossal damage to critical infrastructure estimated at about $5 billion dollars, thus exposing the state to dire humanitarian challenges.
“Out of the 6.9 billion dollars losses incurred across the North-east, Borno accounts for about two-thirds,” Zulum said.
“The insurgency destroyed critical infrastructure and disrupted livelihoods, but with support from the World Bank and other partners, we are rebuilding,” he said.