Nigeria To Receive $2.1bn World Bank Loan To Help Rebuild North East Nigeria

The World Bank has agreed to a $2.1bn loan to help rebuild north-eastern parts of Nigeria, wracked by years of Boko Haram militancy, Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari says.

The loan will be interest-free for the first 10 years.

Buhari was speaking in Washington after talks with World Bank officials.

He said priority must be given to rebuilding infrastructure and helping those displaced by the conflict.

On Monday, US President Barack Obama pledged his support for Buhari in the campaign against Boko Haram. The US has committed $5 million to the fight against the insurgents since the Nigerian leader was elected earlier this year.

In a statement released on Tuesday, Mr Buhari urged the World Bank to send a team to Nigeria to assess how to spend the funds.

BBC Africa editor Richard Hamilton says extreme poverty and neglect in north-eastern Nigeria is thought to have fuelled the rise of Islamic extremism and given Boko Haram broader appeal.

Mr Buhari also met representatives of the World Health Organization and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to discuss measures to tackle malaria and polio.