FG Says 24,000 Nigerians will Benefit from $65m World Bank Funding

Kuni Tyessi in Abuja

National Universities Commission (NUC) says no fewer than 24,000 Nigerians will benefit from a new $65 million funding phase of the World Bank-supported Sustainable Procurement, Environmental and Social Standards Enhancement (SPESSE) project.

Executive Secretary of NUC, Professor Abdullahi Ribadu, disclosed the plan on Wednesday in Abuja during the signing of performance contracts for the additional SPESSE financing.

Ribadu said the new funding built on the success of the initial $80 million SPESSE project, which became effective in 2021.

He said the initiative was designed to strengthen Nigeria’s capacity in procurement, environmental management, and social standards across public and private institutions.

According to him, the project addresses the shortage of skilled professionals in critical governance areas.

Ribadu said, “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 added that the centres were ensuring inclusivity across all regions of the country.

Ribadu said the participating universities were selected through a rigorous and competitive process that assessed institutional readiness, quality assurance, and sustainability.

He said the institutions were already playing key roles in producing skilled manpower to support transparency, environmental responsibility, and inclusive development.

The NUC boss described the contract signing as a renewed commitment to accountability, sustainability, and institutional excellence.

He disclosed that three of the six centres had commenced PhD programmes, while others were expected to begin by July 2026.

Under the new phase, he said the commission targeted at least 60 PhD graduates, enrolment of 60 foreign students, staff internships, and expanded student exchange programmes with international institutions.

Director-General of Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP), Dr. Adebowale Adedokun, said the project had trained over 2,700 public and private sector officers to strengthen procurement competence nationwide.

Adedokun stated that the next phase would support the rollout of Nigeria’s electronic procurement system and expand online capacity-building for policymakers and SMEs handling public funds.

World Bank Task Team Leader for SPESSE, Mr. Ishtiak Siddique, said more than 40,000 participants had been trained under the original project, with over 4,000 certified in procurement, environmental, and social standards.

Siddique said the additional funding would prioritise capacity building for federal, state and local government agencies to accelerate development impact.

He added that sustainability remained central to the project to ensure continuity beyond donor support.

Vice-Chancellor of the University of Lagos, Professor Folasade Ogunsola, reaffirmed the institution’s commitment to strengthening professional capacity under the SPESSE framework.

Ogunsola pledged to deepen postgraduate training, institutional ownership, and international collaborations.