Nigeria’s quest to close critical manpower gaps in procurement, environmental and social standards has received a major boost as the World Bank has given a strong nod to the Sustainable Procurement, Environmental and Social Standards Enhancement (SPESSE) project, rating its performance satisfactory and approving additional financing to sustain its momentum.

Backed by the Federal Government of Nigeria, the World Bank and the National Universities Commission (NUC), SPESSE was designed to tackle a long-standing problem in both the public and private sectors: the shortage of skilled professionals and the absence of structured academic pathways in procurement, environmental safeguards and social standards.

Through coordinated training programmes anchored by six Centres of Excellence spread across Nigeria’s geopolitical zones, the project has steadily bridged that gap, producing a new generation of professionals equipped to meet global best practices.

The World Bank recently reinforced its confidence in the initiative during an Implementation Support Mission (ISM) held to assess progress, review ongoing activities 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, Ishtiak Siddique, alongside the National Project Coordinator of NUC, Dr Joshua Atah.

According to the mission’s Aide Memoire, SPESSE has recorded “significant progress” since the last review. All four Project Development Objective (PDO) indicators have been fully achieved, while the overall Project Implementation Progress (IP) has been rated satisfactory following verification for the January 1–June 30, 2025 period. Independent verification also confirmed that 12 out of 18 Performance-Based Conditions (PBCs) have already been met or exceeded.

Five additional PBCs are scheduled for completion by June 30, 2026, with remaining targets aligned with the project’s closing timeline.

During the mission, the World Bank team engaged with key national and state-level stakeholders, including the SPESSE National Facilitation Implementation Unit (NFIU) 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 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 milestones achieved, progress toward PDO targets, international accreditations, disbursement-linked indicators and student exchange programmes. Tracer studies further underscored the far-reaching impact of SPESSE since its inception.

One of the project’s most notable achievements is the launch of professional certification examinations in procurement, environmental safeguards and social safeguards. Conducted through online portals between April and June 2025, the examinations have already produced 3,429 successful candidates. Of this number, 2,121 passed procurement certification, 855 qualified in social safeguards, and 453 in environmental safeguards.

These certifications represent only a fraction of the project’s reach. More than 85,000 participants have benefited from SPESSE training programmes across the six Centres of Excellence, cutting across Tracks A to E. Even the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in the early stages of implementation failed to slow the project’s steady progress.

The bureau and the World Bank jointly reiterated their resolve to ensure the continued success of SPESSE, a project many now see as a cornerstone of Nigeria’s drive towards sustainable procurement and responsible governance.