NUC, World Bank sign $65m deal for varsities’ upgrade, training
The National Universities Commission has secured a $65 million funding agreement with the World Bank under the Sustainable Procurement, Environmental and Social Standards Enhancement (SPESSE) Project to strengthen governance standards and expand specialised training across Nigerian universities. The agreement was signed on Wednesday at the NUC headquarters in Abuja in the presence of vice-chancellors of […]
National Universities Commission (NUC) headquarters
The National Universities Commission has secured a $65 million funding agreement with the World Bank under the Sustainable Procurement, Environmental and Social Standards Enhancement (SPESSE) Project to strengthen governance standards and expand specialised training across Nigerian universities.
The agreement was signed on Wednesday at the NUC headquarters in Abuja in the presence of vice-chancellors of participating universities, officials of the Bureau of Public Procurement, representatives of the World Bank, and other stakeholders.
The fresh financing is expected to support the training of at least 24,000 Nigerians in procurement, environmental governance, and social standards, while also improving institutional infrastructure and academic capacity within universities.
Launched in 2021 with an initial $80 million World Bank facility, the SPESSE programme was created to address shortages of skilled professionals in procurement, environmental management, and social safeguards through specialised university-based training.
Executive Secretary of the NUC, Abdullahi Ribadu, described the new funding phase as “a renewed opportunity to consolidate achievements, scale impacts, and deepen sustainability measures across the participating institutions.”
According to Ribadu, six centres of excellence were established across Nigeria’s geopolitical zones under the coordination of the NUC and support from the World Bank, including centres at Ahmadu Bello University and Lagos State University.
He said the institutions had developed postgraduate diplomas, master’s degrees, undergraduate programmes, and certification systems focused on procurement and environmental standards.
Task Team Leader of the SPESSE Project at the World Bank, Ishtiak Siddique, said more than 40,000 people had already been trained under the programme.
“We are aiming even higher, an additional 24,000 people at least will be trained under the additional financing,” he said.
Director-General of the Bureau of Public Procurement, Adebowale Adedokun, said over 2,700 officers had already been trained and certified under the initiative.