This blog explore how the UK supported public financial management (PFM) reforms in Nigeria for 20 years, as part of an effort to translate oil revenues and debt relief into better infrastructure and public services. It identifies what made the reform happen, and draws lessons for other PFM programmes.

Laure-Hélène Piron and Sam Waldock reflect on some of the unexpected lessons of 20 years of UK-funded (total £276.5m) governance programmes in Nigeria, in particular how programmes were able to understand their contexts and worked with both state and not state actors to achieving lasting changes in Northern Nigeria.

Climate change is political. The international development system has an important role in delivering climate commitments but must change how aid is provided. Rigid financing models should be replaced with more adaptive methods that are able to respond to complex local politics.