Nigeria’s efforts to bridge critical skills gaps in procurement, environmental and social standards have received a boost as the World Bank has rated the Sustainable Procurement, Environmental and Social Standards Enhancement (SPESSE) project satisfactory and approved additional financing to extend its implementation.
The SPESSE project, backed by the Federal Government of Nigeria, the World Bank and the National Universities Commission (NUC), was designed to address the shortage of skilled professionals and the lack of structured academic pathways in procurement, environmental safeguards and social standards in both the public and private sectors.
The World Bank’s endorsement followed an Implementation Support Mission (ISM) to review progress under the original financing and agree on next steps under the Additional Financing (AF). The mission was led by the World Bank Task Team Leader, Mr Ishtiak Siddique, alongside the National Project Coordinator, Dr Joshua Atah of the NUC.
According to the mission’s Aide Memoire, the project has recorded “significant progress” since the last review, with all four Project Development Objective (PDO) indicators fully achieved.
It added that the overall Project Implementation Progress (IP) was rated satisfactory for the January 1–June 30, 2025 period, while independent verification confirmed that 12 out of 18 Performance-Based Conditions (PBCs) had been met or exceeded.
The memo noted that five additional PBCs are expected to be completed by June 30, 2026, with remaining targets aligned with the project’s closing timeline.
During the mission, the World Bank team engaged with key stakeholders, including the SPESSE National Facilitation Implementation Unit at the NUC, the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP), the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs, the Federal Ministry of Environment and the Federal Ministry of Finance.
The team also reviewed activities at the six SPESSE Centres of Excellence hosted by Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria; Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi; Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi; Federal University of Technology, Owerri; University of Benin; and the University of Lagos.
Presentations from the centres highlighted progress toward PDO targets, international accreditations, disbursement-linked indicators, student exchange programmes and tracer studies, which underscored the project’s impact since inception.
One of the project’s major milestones is the introduction of professional certification examinations in procurement, environmental safeguards and social safeguards.
The examinations, conducted online between April and June 2025, produced 3,429 successful candidates, comprising 2,121 in procurement, 855 in social safeguards and 453 in environmental safeguards.
Beyond certifications, over 85,000 participants have benefited from SPESSE training programmes across the six Centres of Excellence under Tracks A to E, despite early disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Director of the International Economic Relations Department at the Federal Ministry of Finance, Mr Stanley Nyeso George, described the project’s overall satisfactory rating as rare among donor-funded programmes, commending the NUC leadership, the national coordinator and centre leaders for driving its success.
In recognition of the achievements, the World Bank approved Additional Financing to extend the project’s lifespan until June 2026, citing improved outcomes and alignment with development objectives.
With the renewed funding, SPESSE is expected to deepen procurement reforms, expand online training platforms and strengthen institutional capacity for long-term benefits across the public and private sectors.
Meanwhile, the Bureau of Public Procurement has initiated steps to institutionalise SPESSE standards by making its courses mandatory for the professional certification of procurement officers.
The Director-General of the BPP, Dr Adebowale Adedokun, disclosed this during a high-level review meeting with the World Bank at the 2025 SPESSE ISM in Abuja, adding that the proposal had received preliminary approval from the Head of Service.
He reaffirmed the Bureau’s commitment to the project’s objectives, including the transition to e-procurement, as stakeholders reiterated their resolve to ensure SPESSE remains a cornerstone of Nigeria’s drive toward sustainable procurement and responsible governance.