World Bank, NUC Sign $65m SPESSE Funding Deal to Support 24,000 Nigerians

The National Universities Commission and the World Bank have signed a new $65 million funding agreement under the Sustainable Procurement, Environmental and Social Standards Enhancement project aimed at benefiting no fewer than 24,000 Nigerians.

The agreement was formalised during the signing of performance contracts held in Abuja as part of the next phase of the SPESSE programme, a World Bank-supported initiative focused on strengthening institutional and human capacity in procurement, environmental management, and social standards across Nigeria.

Executive Secretary of the NUC, Abdullahi Ribadu, said the additional financing was designed to consolidate achievements recorded under the initial $80 million SPESSE programme launched in 2021.

According to him, the programme was introduced to address the shortage of skilled professionals in critical governance and development sectors, particularly procurement systems, environmental safeguards, and social standards management.

Ribadu disclosed that six centres of excellence had already been established across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones to ensure regional inclusiveness and sustainable professional capacity development.

He explained that participating universities emerged through a competitive selection process based on institutional readiness, sustainability frameworks, and quality assurance systems.

Ribadu added that three of the centres had already commenced doctoral degree programmes, while the remaining centres are expected to begin PhD programmes by July 2026.

“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,” he said.

Under the new funding arrangement, the NUC plans to produce at least 60 PhD graduates, attract 60 foreign students, support staff internship programmes, and expand international student exchange collaborations.

Director-General of the Bureau of Public Procurement, Adebowale Adedokun, said the SPESSE programme had already trained more than 2,700 officers across public and private institutions to strengthen procurement standards nationwide.

According to him, the next phase of the project will support the implementation of Nigeria’s electronic procurement system and broaden online training opportunities for policymakers and small businesses involved in public fund management.

Also speaking, World Bank Task Team Leader for SPESSE, Ishtiak Siddique, disclosed that the initial phase of the programme had already trained over 40,000 participants, with more than 4,000 persons receiving certification in procurement, environmental, and social standards.

He said the fresh funding phase would place significant emphasis on strengthening the institutional capacities of federal, state, and local government agencies to improve governance and development outcomes across the country.

Stakeholders at the event noted that the programme forms part of broader efforts to improve transparency, accountability, procurement efficiency, and environmental governance within Nigeria’s public sector institutions.

The SPESSE project has continued to attract support from development partners due to its focus on building technical expertise in governance-related sectors considered critical to sustainable national development and public sector reforms.

Officials also said the programme would contribute to improving project implementation standards, reducing procurement irregularities, and strengthening compliance with environmental and social safeguards in both public and private sector operations across Nigeria.