The World Bank has commended the Sustainable Procurement, Environmental and Social Standards Enhancement (SPESSE) Environmental Node for commencing professional certification examinations, describing the move as a significant step in strengthening standards-based practice in Nigeria.
The Bank said the development represents a critical milestone, marking the transition of the SPESSE Project from largely theoretical capacity building to the practical implementation of professional certification anchored on recognised standards.
According to the World Bank, the certification exercise was a key outcome of the recently concluded Implementation Support Mission on the SPESSE Project, which took place between November and December 2025.
As part of the mission, the World Bank delegation undertook a focused visit to the SPESSE Environmental Node, hosted by the Environmental Assessment Department of the Federal Ministry of Environment.
Receiving the Task Team on behalf of the Environmental Node, the Director of the Environmental Assessment Department, Mrs Rofikat Odetoro, reaffirmed the Department’s commitment to developing certification systems under SPESSE that were credible, transparent and institutionally sustainable.
Speaking during the visit, the World Bank Task Team Leader, Mr Ishtiak Siddiqe, praised the Environmental Node for initiating certification activities but cautioned that success should not be judged solely by the number of certificates issued.
He noted that the long-term value of the programme would rest on the credibility, governance and verifiability of the systems supporting the certification process, particularly the National Environmental Standards Certification Programme (NESCP).
According to him, verification was not a routine administrative requirement but the foundation for building confidence in SPESSE certifications among development partners, government institutions and the professional community.
He said: “For the Environmental Node, this reinforces the need to align operational practices with the verification standards that underpin the credibility of the certification system.”
The engagement, the Bank noted, went beyond a routine progress review, reflecting a deliberate focus on strengthening institutional systems capable of sustaining SPESSE outcomes beyond the life of the project, rather than concentrating only on completed activities.
A major focus of the discussions was the independent verification framework embedded in SPESSE’s results-based financing structure. The World Bank Task Team outlined the expectations, indicators and assessment approaches that will guide future verification exercises.
In response, the SPESSE Environmental Node Project Coordinator, Mr Hussain Shittu, explained that operational practices are being aligned with these requirements, with systems established to ensure comprehensive digital records, clear audit trails and accessible participant data through the certification portal.
He added that the entire certification process from application and screening to examinations and issuance was managed on a digital platform designed to promote consistency, transparency and traceability.
Governance arrangements also featured prominently during the engagement, as the Task Team underscored the importance of formal certification approval structures, including certification boards and secretariats, to ensure institutional legitimacy.
The team acknowledged this requirement, noting that steps are being taken to align the Environmental Node’s certification governance framework with established practices across other SPESSE Nodes and relevant national institutions, in order to strengthen institutional ownership and public confidence.
Beyond certification processes, discussions also linked SPESSE outcomes to broader development impact. On additional financing, the World Bank highlighted a strategic focus on Ministries, Departments and Agencies with a high concentration of World Bank-funded projects.
This approach, the Bank said, was intended to ensure that SPESSE-certified professionals are deployed where development investments are most active, thereby improving project delivery, safeguarding compliance and overall institutional performance.
As SPESSE approaches project closure and potential additional financing, the experience of the Environmental Node underscores a key lesson: effective standards systems depend not only on training, but equally on strong governance, rigorous verification and institutional discipline.
The World Bank’s engagement, it said, reaffirmed SPESSE’s core objective — not just to build individual capacity, but to establish durable systems that uphold environmental and social standards long after the project concludes.
