President Bola Tinubu has approved N17 billion for community-based national social action fund to drive grassroots development across 8,804 wards in Nigeria.
The scheme was announced on Wednesday in a statement released by Ado Bako, assistant director, information and public relations at the federal ministry of health and social welfare.
Bako said each political ward will engage with a verified community-based organisation to implement priority projects tailored to local needs.
The assistant director said Tinubu approved that the project implementation should run from March to December 2026, with a programme management unit domiciled in the ministry’s sector-wide approach coordination office overseeing execution.
“The initiative, approved by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, will deploy community-driven interventions tailored to local needs, with each ward engaging a verified community-based entity, organisation, or association to implement priority projects,” the statement reads.
“The approval builds on earlier reforms, including the creation of the Social Action Fund (SAF) in September 2023 and the Community-Based Procurement Platform approved in January 2026, designed to simplify access for community organisations to deliver projects of up to ₦50 million.
“To ensure effective implementation, the President has approved a project timeline commencing March 1, 2026, with delivery expected by December 2026.
“A Programme Management Unit will be domiciled in the Sector-Wide Approach (SWAp) Coordination Office of the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare to oversee execution.
“In line with this, the Federal Ministry of Finance and the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation have been directed to release the sum of ₦17 billion into a ring-fenced special intervention account to support implementation, monitoring, communication, and accountability.”
Muhammad Pate, minister of health and social welfare, said the initiative is aimed towards locally driven service delivery for development.
Pate said interventions will include community nutrition support, provision of essential health commodities, and minor infrastructure improvements in schools, health facilities, and sanitation systems.
“This approach places communities at the centre of development,” the minister said.
“By enabling each ward to identify and implement its priority needs, we are unlocking practical solutions that directly improve livelihoods and strengthen service delivery where it matters most.”
The fund taskforce will be chaired by Pate. Other members are ministers of finance, humanitarian affairs, state for health and social welfare, and permanent secretary of the federal ministry of health.
Other members include the director-generals of the Bureau of Public Procurement, Budget Office of the Federation, and chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).
This means that each ward will get at least N1.9 million.
