By Ayomide Otitoju
Anambra State Governor Charles Chukwuma Soludo has placed education and healthcare at the centre of the state’s 2026 Budget Proposal, reaffirming his administration’s commitment to improving learning outcomes and expanding access to quality medical services.
The budget earmarks ₦162.6 billion for recurrent expenditure and ₦595.3 billion for capital projects, with substantial investments planned for the construction of new schools, the upgrade of existing facilities and the completion of key healthcare projects.
Governor Soludo said the 2026 fiscal plan builds on the extensive reforms already underway in the education sector. He announced that construction will begin on new public primary schools in 30 of the 76 communities that currently lack such facilities.
“We are setting a new benchmark for what an ideal school should look like in Anambra State,” he said. “Alongside this, we will sustain the aggressive upgrade of infrastructure in our primary and secondary schools through multiple schemes, especially the ASUBEB programme, to ensure that learning environments across the state are modern, equipped and conducive.”
The governor also revealed plans to establish two new specialist tertiary institutions and expand support for mission schools as part of efforts to strengthen the higher education ecosystem. He highlighted ongoing reforms, including free education from primary school to Senior Secondary School 3 (SS3) and the recent recruitment of 3,115 additional teachers, bringing the total to 8,115.
Under Soludo’s leadership, 22 secondary schools have been converted into smart schools, over 60 laboratories have been equipped with STEM facilities and operational budgets for schools have been increased to enhance the delivery of quality education.
In the health sector, the governor said the state will deepen ongoing interventions by completing the College of Nursing and constructing a specialist teaching hospital with expertise in oncology. He added that renovation and equipping of primary and secondary healthcare facilities will continue across all local government areas.
Soludo noted that more than 161,197 pregnant women have benefited from free antenatal and delivery services under his administration, including 594 caesarean sections recorded with zero mortality. He described the milestone as proof of the state’s commitment to reducing maternal deaths and improving healthcare outcomes.
The government has also commissioned four new general hospitals in local governments previously without such facilities and is nearing completion of 326 upgraded primary healthcare centres equipped with solar power, boreholes and essential medical equipment.
The Trauma Centre at Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University Teaching Hospital has been completed, boosting Anambra’s emergency response capacity. Meanwhile, work is progressing on the coordinated wholesale centre in Oba, expected to become the largest drug market in Africa, and a new nursing school is under construction to strengthen the state’s health workforce.
Governor Soludo said the 2026 budget will consolidate ongoing gains while accelerating development across both sectors to secure a healthier and better-educated population.
