24,000 Nigerians to benefit from World Bank $65m deal
The National Universities Commission (NUC) has disclosed that 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.
This disclosure was made during the signing of the performance contracts for the additional financing on Wednesday in Abuja.
As a World Bank-backed initiative, the SPESSE project aims to strengthen Nigeria’s institutional and human capacity in procurement, environmental management, and social standards across both the public and private sectors.
In his remarks, the Executive Secretary of the NUC, Abdullahi Ribadu, stated that the additional funding phase was designed to build on the gains already recorded under the initial $80 million SPESSE programme launched in 2021.
According to Ribadu, the initiative was introduced to tackle the shortage of skilled professionals in key governance and development sectors, specifically in procurement processes, environmental management, and social safeguards.
Ribadu further disclosed that six specialised centres of excellence were created across the country’s geopolitical zones to promote balanced regional participation and deliver sustained professional training in priority sectors.
He added that the universities hosting these centres were selected through a rigorous competitive process that assessed their operational preparedness, sustainability frameworks, and internal quality control mechanisms.
Ribadu further revealed that three of the centres have already launched doctoral degree programmes, while the remaining institutions are projected to commence their PhD training schemes before July 2026.
He explained that the new funding phase is targeted at producing no fewer than 60 PhD graduates, attracting at least 60 international students, supporting internship placements for academic staff, and broadening student exchange partnerships with foreign institutions.
On his part, the Director-General of the Bureau of Public Procurement, Adebowale Adedokun, noted that the SPESSE programme has so far equipped over 2,700 professionals from the public and private sectors with procurement-related training aimed at improving standards and institutional efficiency nationwide.
Adedokun added that the next implementation phase would prioritise the deployment of Nigeria’s electronic procurement platform while increasing access to virtual training for policymakers and small-scale enterprises engaged in public financial management.
Similarly, the World Bank Task Team Leader for SPESSE, Ishtiak Siddique, disclosed that the project’s first phase trained more than 40,000 participants, with over 4,000 earning certifications in procurement as well as environmental and social safeguard standards.
Siddique noted that the additional financing package would place a strong emphasis on enhancing the institutional capacity of federal, state, and local government agencies to improve service delivery and development performance across Nigeria.
This latest round of funding serves as an extension of the original $80 million SPESSE initiative, which officially commenced operations in 2021.