The National Universities Commission has signed a fresh $65 million performance agreement with vice-chancellors of participating universities under the World Bank-backed Sustainable Procurement, Environmental and Social Standards Enhancement Project, in a move aimed at improving governance systems, procurement transparency, environmental responsibility and institutional standards across Nigerian universities.
The agreement, signed in Abuja on Wednesday, marks a major expansion of the SPESSE initiative, a project designed to strengthen Nigeria’s capacity in procurement, environmental and social governance through specialised university training and institutional reforms. The event brought together officials of the NUC, the World Bank, the Bureau of Public Procurement, university administrators and other education stakeholders.
Speaking during the signing ceremony, Executive Secretary of the NUC, Professor Abdullahi Ribadu, described the additional financing as a major milestone that would deepen the impact already recorded since the programme began in 2021. According to him, the new funding phase is not just a continuation of the project but an opportunity to consolidate previous achievements, expand institutional capacity and strengthen long-term sustainability across participating universities.
Ribadu explained that the SPESSE initiative was originally introduced to solve a major gap within Nigeria’s higher education system, especially the shortage of highly trained professionals in procurement management, environmental safeguards and social standards. He noted that before the intervention, many universities lacked specialised programmes capable of producing experts needed to drive transparency, accountability and sustainable development in public institutions.
He further disclosed that six Centres of Excellence were established across Nigeria’s geopolitical zones under the programme, including institutions such as Ahmadu Bello University and Lagos State University. According to him, the centres are already producing professionals equipped to support government reforms, environmental protection policies and socially inclusive development projects both within and outside Nigeria.
The NUC boss stated that the project has recorded significant achievements since it became operational. He explained that universities under the programme have developed academic curricula covering short professional courses, postgraduate diplomas, master’s degrees and undergraduate programmes focused on procurement, environmental and social governance.
Ribadu added that investments made through the initiative have also improved digital learning infrastructure, including high-performance computing systems, learning management platforms, virtual classrooms and live-streaming facilities that are strengthening teaching, research and international collaboration within the participating universities.
He revealed that some of the centres have already started attracting foreign students while more than 68 international partnerships have been established under the programme. According to him, certification systems for procurement, environmental and social standards have also been activated in collaboration with the Bureau of Public Procurement, the Federal Ministry of Environment and the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs to ensure professional standards for practitioners in those fields.
The NUC Executive Secretary further disclosed that three of the participating universities have already commenced PhD programmes under the initiative, while the remaining institutions are expected to begin their doctoral programmes from July 2026. He also announced ambitious new targets under the additional financing arrangement, including the training of at least 60 PhD candidates, admission of no fewer than 60 foreign students, staff internship programmes and multiple international student exchange opportunities.
According to Ribadu, the Government of The Gambia has already expressed interest in sending students to the centres, a development he described as evidence of growing international recognition for the programme.
Speaking on the broader impact of the intervention, Ribadu said the project has significantly improved institutional capacity, strengthened research systems and expanded internationalisation efforts across Nigerian universities. He also disclosed that the additional financing phase would focus more specifically on sustainability, environmental governance and electronic procurement systems.
He explained that the Federal Government plans to migrate procurement processes to electronic platforms in the future, and the new funding arrangement would help universities and institutions build the required technological and professional capacity for that transition.
Also speaking at the event, the Task Team Leader of the SPESSE Project at the World Bank, Ishtiak Siddique, described the programme as one of the bank’s most important partnerships with Nigeria. Although the World Bank currently manages a portfolio worth over $17 billion in Nigeria, Siddique said the SPESSE initiative remains particularly significant because of its impact across multiple sectors.
According to him, procurement systems, environmental governance and social standards are critical pillars for effective public service delivery and sustainable national development. He disclosed that the additional $65 million financing package was approved following the success recorded under the original $80 million intervention launched in 2021.
Siddique revealed that more than 40,000 individuals have already received training through the programme across procurement, environmental and social governance fields. He explained that the additional financing phase aims to train at least 24,000 more people, particularly from strategic government institutions and public agencies.
He also announced plans for the deployment of a fully electronic procurement system at the federal level, which would later be expanded to state governments. According to him, the proposed e-procurement platform would utilise emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and machine learning to improve efficiency, transparency and accountability in public procurement processes.
The Director-General of the Bureau of Public Procurement, Adebowale Adedokun, also reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to ensuring procurement officers across Nigeria become both academically and professionally competent. He disclosed that over 2,700 officers have already been trained and certified under the project across federal, state and local government institutions.
Adedokun explained that the additional financing stage would further support the deployment of the government’s electronic procurement system while also strengthening online capacity-building programmes for small and medium-sized businesses as well as policymakers handling public funds.
Vice-Chancellors of participating universities also highlighted the positive impact of the project on their institutions. The Vice-Chancellor of Lagos State University, Professor Ibiyemi Olatunji-Bello, said the initiative has significantly strengthened institutional systems, learning infrastructure and leadership development within the university. She explained that before the project, specialised training in procurement, environmental standards and social governance was almost non-existent in many Nigerian universities.
Similarly, the Vice-Chancellor of Ahmadu Bello University, Professor Adamu Ahmed, said the institution has recorded major progress in student enrolment, virtual learning delivery and international student participation through the programme. According to him, the university continues to receive applications from foreign students interested in specialised training offered under the initiative.
The SPESSE project was originally launched in 2021 with an initial $80 million World Bank facility aimed at improving Nigeria’s capacity in procurement, environmental and social governance through university-based professional training and institutional reforms. With the fresh $65 million financing agreement now activated, stakeholders believe the initiative could play a major role in modernising governance systems, strengthening transparency and improving institutional standards across Nigeria’s higher education sector.
