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

The Executive Secretary of the commission, Abdullahi Ribadu, disclosed this on Wednesday during the signing of performance contracts for the additional SPESSE financing in Abuja.

According to Ribadu, the fresh funding follows the success of the initial $80 million SPESSE project, which commenced in 2021 to strengthen capacity in procurement, environmental management and social standards in both public and private institutions.

He explained that the project was created to bridge the shortage of skilled professionals in key governance sectors across the country.

“With the support of the World Bank and under the coordination of the NUC, six centres of excellence were established across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones to provide sustainable capacity building in these critical areas,” Ribadu said.

He noted that the participating universities emerged through a rigorous selection process that evaluated institutional readiness, quality assurance and long-term sustainability.

The NUC boss stated that the institutions were already contributing significantly to the development of skilled manpower capable of promoting transparency, environmental accountability and inclusive national development.

Describing the contract signing as a renewed commitment to accountability and institutional excellence, Ribadu revealed that three of the six centres had already commenced PhD programmes, while the remaining centres were expected to begin by July 2026.

Under the new funding phase, the commission targets at least 60 PhD graduates, enrolment of 60 international students, staff internship programmes and expanded exchange partnerships with foreign institutions.

Also speaking, the Director-General of the Bureau of Public Procurement, Adebowale Adedokun, said the project had already trained over 2,700 officers from both public and private sectors to improve procurement competence nationwide.

He added that the next phase would support the implementation of Nigeria’s electronic procurement system and expand online training for policymakers and small businesses managing public funds.

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

He said the additional financing would focus on strengthening capacity building for federal, state and local government institutions to accelerate national development.

Meanwhile, the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Lagos, Folasade Ogunsola, reaffirmed the institution’s commitment to deepening postgraduate training, institutional ownership and international collaborations under the SPESSE initiative.