The Federal Government, in partnership with the World Bank, has stepped up efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s workforce in procurement, environmental management, and social standards through the Sustainable Procurement, Environmental and Social Standards Enhancement (SPESSE) Project.
The renewed commitment was highlighted during a courtesy visit by a World Bank implementation support mission team to the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development in Abuja on Wednesday.
Speaking during the visit, the Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, described SPESSE as a strategic national programme that cuts across critical sectors, including social development, housing, labour, procurement, and environmental management.
She noted that the initiative is designed to strengthen institutional systems while developing a highly skilled social workforce capable of improving service delivery across the country.
According to the minister, the project is approaching the end of its current phase, with the World Bank mission assessing progress made so far and identifying areas for improvement ahead of the next phase of implementation.
Sulaiman-Ibrahim called for stronger policy backing, the reconstitution of key structures, and the establishment of a sustainability framework to ensure increased government ownership and long-term impact.
She also encouraged Nigerians to take advantage of the educational opportunities available under the programme, noting that participating universities offer fully funded short-term, postgraduate, and professional courses.
“It is important that we strengthen our social workforce as a country. This will complement President Bola Tinubu’s care economy agenda and help build a more resilient social protection system,” she said.
Also speaking, World Bank Senior Social Development Specialist and SPESSE Co-Task Team Leader, Michael Ilesanmi, described the project as a major investment by the Nigerian government, supported by the World Bank, to enhance institutional capacity in procurement, environmental, and social standards.
He explained that SPESSE combines academic training with professional certification to develop skilled personnel for both the public and private sectors.
Ilesanmi disclosed that six Centres of Excellence have been established in universities across Nigeria’s geopolitical zones to drive the programme. The institutions include Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria; Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi; Joseph Sarwuan Tarka University, Makurdi; Federal University of Technology, Owerri; University of Benin; and the University of Lagos.
According to him, the centres offer undergraduate, postgraduate, doctoral, and short professional courses in procurement, environmental management, and social standards.
He added that all courses under the SPESSE programme are fully funded through government scholarships, with the goal of strengthening critical sectors and supporting national development.
Beyond academic training, the programme also promotes professional certification to improve standards, competence, and practice across relevant fields.
The SPESSE Project remains one of the Federal Government’s flagship capacity-building initiatives aimed at aligning workforce development with governance reforms and sustainable development goals.
