First Published as Second Lead in the January 2026 Edition of African Leadership Scorecard Magazine

By Bonaventure Phillips Melah

For Ebonyi, the State Governor, Rt. Hon. Francis Nwifuru plans to work with a total of N884.86bn captured in his 2026 “Budget of Actualisation and Hope,” which he said marks a significant increase from previous years while also reflecting a strategic shift towards comprehensive development and fiscal consolidation, in line with “People’s Charter of Needs.”

The capital part of the budget accounted for N749.49 billion or 84.7 per cent, while recurrent expenditure stood at N135.38 billion representing 15.3 per cent, which has been described as a positive deviation from what obtains in most states where a larger chunk of government revenue is spent on consumption.

On the day he presented the budget estimate to the Ebonyi State House Assembly, Governor Nwifuru said among other things that the proposal was aimed at sustaining fiscal consolidation, accelerating economic growth and enhancing human capital development across the state.

He said the structure reflects the administration’s determination to drive development through heavy capital investment.

He said the budget would also consolidate investments in infrastructure, healthcare, education, agriculture and industrialization and explained that the proposed budget was shaped by the needs and aspirations of citizens generated through participatory budgeting.

The Governor noticed that it prioritised access to quality education, robust healthcare delivery, agricultural expansion, youth empowerment and micro, small and medium enterprises development and highlighted key achievements of the 2025 budget year, including prompt payment of workers’ salaries and the settlement of outstanding pensions and gratuities inherited from previous administrations.

He said the administration also executed a major empowerment programme which disbursed capital support to more than 5,000 beneficiaries across the 13 Local Government Areas.

On education, Nwifuru said the government had invested massively in the sector with the establishment of the University of Information, Communication and Technology at Oferekpe Agbaja and the University of Aeronautic Engineering at Ezza.

He said that 43 model secondary schools were under construction while over 1,000 students were awarded foreign and local postgraduate scholarships.

Breakdown of Ebonyi 2026 Budget Estimate

A breakdown of the sectoral allocations for Ebonyi State 2026 budget indicates that economic sector received N492.9 billion (55.7 per cent), the social sector N247.97 billion (28.02 per cent) and the administrative sector N137.37 billion (15.52 per cent).

The law and justice sector got N5.03 billion, while the regional sector received N1.56 billion.

The government projected that statutory allocations from the Federal Allocation Accounts Committee would finance 53.1 per cent of the total budget.

According to Governor Nwifuru, independent revenue would contribute 5.5 per cent, and capital development funds including grants and donor-assisted receipts would account for 37.5 per cent.