Nigeria’s debt to the World Bank’s concessional lending arm, the International Development Association, surged by $1.9bn in just one year to reach $18.7bn as of December 31, 2025, new financial data released by the institution show. According to the IDA Management’s Discussion and Analysis for the period ended December 31, 2025, Nigeria’s exposure to the bank’s loan portfolio rose significantly from $16.8bn at end-2024, marking an 11.3 per cent year-on-year increase. The sharp rise shows growing reliance on multilateral concessional financing as the Federal Government navigates tightening fiscal space amid global market volatility. The latest figures place Nigeria as the third-largest borrower in the IDA portfolio, behind Bangladesh ($23.0bn) and Pakistan ($19.4bn), among the top ten countries with the highest exposures. Together, these 10 countries accounted for 60 per cent of IDA’s total exposure as of December 31, 2025, the report said. A year earlier, the same cohort accounted for 61 per cent of total exposure. The PUNCH observed that the $1.9bn uptick largely reflects continued project disbursements under Nigeria’s Country Partnership Frameworks and expanded commitments in key sectors such as health, education, and infrastructure.

Punch