The National Universities Commission (NUC) has revealed that 24,000 Nigerians would benefit from a new $65 million funding phase of the World Bank-supported Sustainable Procurement, Environmental and Social Standards Enhancement (SPESSE) project.
The Executive Secretary of the NUC, Prof. Abdullahi Ribadu, who made this disclosure on Wednesday in Abuja during the signing of performance contracts for the additional SPESSE financing, noted that the new funding builds on the success of the initial $80 million SPESSE project, which became effective in 2021.
According to him, the initiative was designed to strengthen Nigeria’s capacity in procurement, environmental management and social standards across public and private institutions.
Ribadu explained that the project addresses the shortage of skilled professionals in critical governance areas.
He said, “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.”
While disclosing that the centres were ensuring inclusivity across all regions of the country, Ribadu added that the participating universities were selected through a rigorous and competitive process that assessed institutional readiness, quality assurance and sustainability.
He said the institutions were already playing key roles in producing skilled manpower to support transparency, environmental responsibility and inclusive development.
Describing the contract signing as a renewed commitment to accountability, sustainability and institutional excellence, Ribadu disclosed that three of the six centres had commenced PhD programmes, while others were expected to begin by July 2026.
He added that the centres had recorded milestones, including the development of specialised academic programmes, ranging from short courses to postgraduate and undergraduate degrees, as well as investments in digital learning infrastructure and research facilities
Under the new phase, he said the commission targets at least 60 PhD graduates, enrollment of 60 foreign students, staff internships and expanded student exchange programmes with international institutions.
The Director-General of the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP), Dr Adebowale Adedokun, said the project had trained over 2,700 public and private sector officers to strengthen procurement competence nationwide.
According to him, the next phase would support the rollout of Nigeria’s electronic procurement system and expand online capacity-building for policymakers and SMEs handling public funds.
The World Bank Task Team Leader for SPESSE, Mr Ishtiak Siddique, said more than 40,000 participants had been trained under the original project, with over 4,000 certified in procurement, environmental and social standards.
He explained that the additional funding would prioritise capacity building for federal, state and local government agencies to accelerate development impact.
Siddique added that sustainability remained central to the project to ensure continuity beyond donor support.
The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Lagos, Prof. Folasade Ogunsola, reaffirmed institutional commitment to strengthening professional capacity under the SPESSE framework.
She pledged to deepen postgraduate training, institutional ownership and international collaborations.
