By Mariam Abeeb
The National Universities Commission (NUC) says no fewer than 24,000 Nigerians will benefit from a new $65 million funding phase of the World Bank-supported Sustainable Procurement, Environmental and Social Standards Enhancement (SPESSE) project.
The Executive Secretary of the NUC, Prof. Abdullahi Ribadu, disclosed this in Abuja during the signing of performance contracts for the additional SPESSE financing.
He said the new funding builds on the success of the initial $80 million SPESSE project, which became effective in 2021.
Ribadu said the initiative was designed to strengthen Nigeria’s capacity in procurement, environmental management and social standards across public and private institutions.
According to him, the project addresses the shortage of skilled professionals in critical governance areas.
“With the support of the World Bank and under the coordination of the NUC, six centres of excellence were established across the six geopolitical zones to provide sustainable capacity building in these critical sectors,” he said.
He added that the centres were ensuring inclusivity across all regions of the country.
Ribadu said the participating universities were selected through a rigorous and competitive process that assessed institutional readiness, quality assurance and sustainability.
He said the institutions were already playing key roles in producing skilled manpower to support transparency, environmental responsibility and inclusive development.
The NUC boss described the contract signing as a renewed commitment to accountability, sustainability and institutional excellence.
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