The National Universities Commission (NUC) on Wednesday signed additional $65 million performance contracts with Vice-Chancellors of participating universities under the World Bank-supported Sustainable Procurement, Environmental and Social Standards Enhancement (SPESSE) Project, aimed at strengthening procurement systems, environmental compliance, and social governance standards across Nigeria’s higher education sector.
The signing ceremony held in Abuja brought together officials of the NUC, the Bureau of Public Procurement, the World Bank, participating universities, and other key stakeholders.
Speaking at the event, the Executive Secretary of the NUC, Prof. Abdullahi Ribadu, described the additional financing phase as “a new chapter” in Nigeria’s drive to strengthen procurement, environmental, and social standards.
He said the renewed phase was designed to deepen existing achievements and expand impact across participating institutions.
“This phase marks not only a continuation of the initiative, but also a renewed opportunity to consolidate achievements, scale impacts, and deepen sustainability measures across the participating institutions,” Ribadu said.
Ribadu explained that the SPESSE project was created to address a critical shortage of skilled professionals in procurement, environmental, and social safeguards, as well as the limited academic programmes in those areas within Nigerian universities.
According to him, six Centres of Excellence were established across the country’s geopolitical zones under the coordination of the NUC, with support from the World Bank. He noted that institutions such as Ahmadu Bello University and Lagos State University are among those benefiting.
Ribadu said the centres were already contributing significantly to producing skilled manpower needed to promote transparency, environmental responsibility, and inclusive development.
He also highlighted progress recorded since the project became effective in 2021, including the development of academic programmes ranging from short courses to PhDs, as well as investments in digital learning infrastructure such as high-performance computing systems, learning management platforms, and virtual learning facilities.
According to him, some centres have already begun admitting international students, with over 68 global partnerships established.
“In 2025, certification protocols for procurement, environmental, and social standards were developed and activated by relevant federal agencies to authenticate practitioners,” he added.
Ribadu further disclosed that three of the six centres had already commenced PhD programmes, while the remaining centres were expected to begin in the next academic session starting July 2026.
He also outlined new targets under the additional financing phase, including the production of at least 60 PhD graduates, enrollment of at least 60 foreign students, 18 staff internships, and 60 international student exchange programmes.
He revealed that The Gambia had already expressed interest in sending students to the centres, urging universities to take advantage of the opportunity.
On the expansion of the programme, Ribadu said the new phase would build on earlier achievements while focusing more on sustainability, environmental governance, and procurement reforms.
He also noted that electronic procurement would become a central feature of the initiative, stressing government plans to transition all procurement processes to digital platforms in the future.
“The government intends to have all procurement in the future to be done electronically,” he said.
The World Bank Task Team Leader for the SPESSE Project, Ishtiak Siddique, described the initiative as one of the institution’s most important partnerships with Nigeria, noting that the Bank currently has a $17 billion portfolio in the country.
He said the project was unique because it cuts across multiple sectors, including governance, environment, and public service delivery.
Siddique disclosed that more than 40,000 people had already been trained under the programme, while an additional 24,000 participants are expected to benefit under the new financing phase.
He also announced plans for a nationwide electronic procurement system that will initially be deployed at the federal level before being expanded to states, incorporating modern technologies such as artificial intelligence and machine learning to improve efficiency.
The Director-General of the Bureau of Public Procurement, Adebowale Adedokun, reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to building a competent procurement workforce.
He disclosed that over 2,700 officers had already been trained and certified under the programme, adding that the new phase would further support the rollout of the federal government’s electronic procurement system.
Adedokun also said the initiative would strengthen online capacity building for small and medium-scale enterprises and improve the management of public funds across government institutions.
He stressed that the overall goal remains to ensure transparency, accountability, and efficiency in Nigeria’s public procurement and governance systems.
Elijah Adeyemi
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