The National Universities Commission (NUC) says no fewer than 24,000 Nigerians will benefit from a new $65 million funding phase under the World Bank-supported Sustainable Procurement, Environmental and Social Standards Enhancement (SPESSE) project.
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The signing of the performance contracts for the additional financing took place on Wednesday in Abuja during a formal ceremony attended by key stakeholders, according to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
The SPESSE project is a World Bank-backed initiative aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s institutional and human capacity in procurement, environmental management, and social standards across both the public and private sectors.
What they are saying
The Executive Secretary of the NUC, Abdullahi Ribadu, said the additional funding phase was designed to build on the gains already recorded under the initial $80 million SPESSE programme launched in 2021.
He explained that the initiative was introduced to tackle the shortage of skilled professionals in key governance and development sectors, especially in procurement processes, environmental management, and social safeguards.
- Ribadu noted that six centres of excellence had been established across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones to ensure regional inclusiveness and provide long-term professional training in the targeted sectors.
- He added that the participating universities emerged through a competitive selection process that evaluated their institutional readiness, sustainability plans, and quality assurance systems.
Ribadu said three of the six centres had already commenced PhD programmes, while the remaining centres are expected to begin similar programmes by July 2026.
Under the new funding phase, he said the commission aims to produce at least 60 PhD graduates, attract 60 foreign students, facilitate staff internships, and expand student exchange programmes with international institutions.
- “With the support of the World Bank and under the coordination of the NUC, six centres of excellence were established across the six geopolitical zones to provide sustainable capacity building in these critical sectors,” he said.
More insights
Also speaking, Adebowale Adedokun, Director-General of the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP), said the SPESSE initiative had already trained more than 2,700 officers from both the public and private sectors to strengthen procurement standards and competence nationwide.
Adedokun said the next phase of the programme would support the implementation of Nigeria’s electronic procurement system and expand online training opportunities for policymakers and small businesses involved in managing public funds.
- Meanwhile, the World Bank Task Team Leader for SPESSE, Ishtiak Siddique, said the original phase of the project had trained more than 40,000 participants, with over 4,000 persons receiving certification in procurement, environmental, and social standards.
He noted that the fresh funding would focus heavily on strengthening the capacities of federal, state, and local government institutions to improve development outcomes across the country.
What you should know
The latest financing builds on the success of the initial $80 million SPESSE project, which became operational in 2021.
In July last year, Nairametrics reported that the World Bank approved an additional $65 million credit facility for Nigeria under the SPESSE initiative, raising the project’s total funding to $145 million.
The project has become one of the Federal Government’s major capacity-building programmes focused on improving governance standards, procurement systems, environmental management, and social safeguards across public institutions.
