The federal government has entered into a fresh $65 million agreement with the World Bank to further strengthen and expand ongoing reforms in Nigeria’s university system under the Sustainable Procurement, Environmental and Social Standards Enhancement Project (SPESSE).
Agreement Formalised in Abuja
The agreement was formalised on Wednesday at the National Universities Commission (NUC) headquarters in Abuja, with representatives from the World Bank, participating universities, and the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) in attendance.
This initiative builds on an earlier $80 million facility launched in 2021 aimed at improving specialised training in procurement, environmental management, and social governance across Nigerian universities.
NUC Highlights Progress and Expansion
Executive Secretary of the NUC, Abdullahi Ribadu, said the additional financing represents a continuation and expansion of the project’s achievements. He described the development as a renewed effort to deepen capacity-building across participating institutions.
“The project was conceived to address a critical gap in the Nigerian university system: insufficient supply of skilled professionals in procurement, environmental and social safeguards, as well as the limited availability of specialised academic programmes in these fields,” Ribadu said.
He explained that six centres of excellence have been established across Nigeria’s geopolitical zones, including institutions such as Ahmadu Bello University and Lagos State University.
Universities Record Milestones Under SPESSE
According to Ribadu, the project has recorded significant progress since its launch, including the development of academic curricula across multiple degree levels and the expansion of digital learning infrastructure.
“Today, these institutions are playing a strategic role in producing the skilled manpower required to support transparency, environmental responsibility, and socially inclusive development in Nigeria and beyond,” he said.
He also noted improvements in learning facilities, including digital platforms, high-performance computing systems, and live-streaming tools to enhance teaching and research.
Foreign Partnerships and Postgraduate Growth Expand
The NUC boss further revealed that some participating universities have begun attracting international students, with more than 68 global partnerships already established. He added that three of the six centres have commenced PhD programmes, while others are expected to begin in the next academic session starting July 2026.
World Bank Outlines Targets for New Funding Phase
Task Team Leader of the SPESSE project, Ishtiak Siddique, said the additional financing will build on the success of the initial phase, which has already trained over 40,000 people.
“This particular project is very close to our heart because it actually cuts across all the sectors,” Siddique said.
He explained that the new phase will expand training to an additional 24,000 participants and introduce an electronic procurement system at federal level before scaling to states.
BPP Says Over 2,700 Officers Already Trained
Director-General of the Bureau of Public Procurement, Adebowale Adedokun, said more than 2,700 officers have already benefited from the programme.
“This project has so far trained and certified over 2,700 officers from various sectors of excellence and indeed from the private sector, drawn from MDAs at the federal, state, and local government levels,” he said.
He added that the next phase will support the rollout of an electronic procurement system and strengthen digital capacity-building for public institutions and small businesses.
