The World Bank has given a strong endorsement to the Sustainable Procurement, Environmental and Social Standards Enhancement (SPESSE) project, rating its performance satisfactory and approving additional financing to sustain its momentum.
The project, backed by the Federal Government of Nigeria, the World Bank and the National Universities Commission (NUC), was designed to address long-standing skills gaps in procurement, environmental safeguards and social standards across Nigeria’s public and private sectors.
Domiciled in six Centres of Excellence across the country’s geopolitical zones, SPESSE has steadily bridged the skills deficit, producing a new generation of professionals trained to meet global best practices.
The World Bank reaffirmed its confidence in the initiative during a recent Implementation Support Mission (ISM) conducted to assess progress, review activities under the original financing and agree on next steps under the Additional Financing. 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, SPESSE has recorded significant progress since the last review. All four Project Development Objective (PDO) indicators have been fully achieved, while the project’s overall Implementation Progress (IP) was rated satisfactory for the January 1 to June 30, 2025 period. Independent verification further confirmed that 12 of the 18 Performance-Based Conditions (PBCs) have already been met or exceeded.
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 key national and state stakeholders, including the SPESSE National Facilitation Implementation Unit at the NUC, the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP), the Federal Ministries of Women Affairs, Environment and Finance, as well as 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, international accreditations, disbursement-linked indicators, student exchange programmes and progress toward PDO targets. Tracer studies also underscored the far-reaching impact of the project since inception.
One of SPESSE’s major milestones is the introduction of professional certification examinations in procurement, environmental safeguards and social safeguards. Conducted online between April and June 2025, the examinations produced 3,429 successful candidates, including 2,121 in procurement, 855 in social safeguards and 453 in environmental safeguards.
Beyond certification, 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 project has maintained steady progress.
The strong performance has earned SPESSE recognition as one of Nigeria’s most successful development projects. The Director of the International Economic Relations Department at the Federal Ministry of Finance, Mr. Stanley Nyeso George, noted that an overall satisfactory rating at this stage is rare among donor-funded programmes.
Stakeholders commended the NUC, under both its current and former leadership, as well as the National Project Coordinator, Dr. Atah, for driving the project’s success. Centre Leaders and their teams were also praised for their dedication and results.
In recognition of these achievements, the World Bank approved additional financing to extend the project until June 2026, citing improved outcomes and strong alignment with its development objectives.
With renewed funding, SPESSE is expected to deepen procurement reforms, expand online training platforms and strengthen institutional capacity, delivering long-term benefits to Nigeria’s public sector, private businesses and local communities.
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. Director-General of the BPP, Dr. Adebowale Adedokun, disclosed this at a high-level review meeting with the World Bank during the 2025 SPESSE ISM in Abuja.
Dr. Adedokun said the proposal, which has received preliminary approval from the Head of Service, will be reflected in a revised circular governing the procurement cadre. He reaffirmed the Bureau’s commitment to achieving all project objectives, including the transition to e-procurement.
Stakeholders and development partners have reiterated their resolve to ensure the continued success of SPESSE, widely regarded as a cornerstone of Nigeria’s drive toward sustainable procurement and responsible governance.
