Governor Chukwuma Soludo has unveiled a record N757.88 billion budget proposal for 2026 before the Anambra State House of Assembly, representing a 24.8 per cent increase over the 2025 figure of N606.99 billion.

The plan, tagged “Changing Gears 3.0: Solution Continues,” is heavily weighted toward capital projects, with N595.3 billion (79 per cent) earmarked for infrastructure and development spending, and N161.6 billion (21 per cent) for recurrent costs.

Soludo told lawmakers the budget reflects his administration’s determination to accelerate infrastructure delivery, job creation, and economic diversification while maintaining fiscal discipline. He noted that despite 2025 being an election year, the state achieved over 60 per cent budget performance. “Every kobo will be prudently utilised,” he pledged, adding that no new borrowing will be undertaken for consumption.

A projected N225.7 billion deficit is expected to be financed through public-private partnerships, concessions, increased internally generated revenue, and support from development finance institutions.

House Speaker Somtochukwu Udeze praised the administration’s “massive ongoing transformation projects” and assured that the Assembly would give the proposal swift but thorough scrutiny.

The 2026 budget, the largest in Anambra’s history, comes on the heels of Soludo’s landslide re-election earlier this month. Analysts say the capital-heavy allocation aligns with his campaign promises to complete flagship roads, hospitals, schools, and the new Anambra International Cargo and Passenger Airport before the end of his second term.