NUC signs $65m with World Bank to upgrade varsities, train 24,000 Nigerians

…as varsities sign fresh performance pact to produce global-standard professionals

By Joseph Erunke, Abuja

The National Universities Commission, NUC, has launched a fresh push to transform Nigeria into a hub for globally competitive professionals in procurement and environmental and social standards, as vice-chancellors of six SPESSE host universities signed new performance contracts under the World Bank-backed initiative.

Speaking during the signing ceremony on Wednesday, the executive secretary of the NUC, Professor Abdullahi Yusufu Ribadu, described the event as a major milestone in Nigeria’s drive to strengthen accountability, transparency and sustainable development across the public and private sectors.

Ribadu disclosed that the Additional Financing phase of the Sustainable Procurement, Environmental and Social Standards Enhancement, SPESSE, project became effective barely three weeks ago, opening a new chapter for the initiative.

He said the project was designed to bridge critical manpower gaps in procurement, environmental management and social safeguards within the Nigerian university system, NUS, while also expanding specialised academic programmes in those fields.

According to him, six Centres of Excellence were strategically established across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones through a rigorous selection process that assessed institutional readiness, quality assurance and sustainability mechanisms.

“Today, these institutions are playing a strategic role in producing the skilled manpower required to support transparency, environmental responsibility and socially inclusive development in Nigeria and beyond,” Ribadu said.

He noted that since becoming operational in 2021, SPESSE had recorded major milestones, including the development of curricula for short courses, postgraduate diplomas, master’s degrees and undergraduate programmes.

The NUC boss added that investments in high-performance computing infrastructure, digital learning platforms, live-streaming facilities and learning management systems had significantly improved teaching, learning and research capacity across the centres.

Ribadu further revealed that some of the centres had already begun attracting foreign students as part of efforts to internationalise Nigeria’s university system.

“Collectively, the SPESSE Centres have established over 68 international partnerships to deepen collaboration in teaching, research and professional development,” he stated.

He also disclosed that certification portals for procurement, environmental and social standards were activated in 2025 by the Bureau of Public Procurement, BPP, the Federal Ministry of Environment and the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs to authenticate practitioners and strengthen professional standards.

Describing the signing of the performance contracts as timely, Ribadu said the new financing phase would focus on consolidating achievements, expanding impact and ensuring long-term sustainability of the centres beyond external funding.

He charged the host universities to deepen institutional ownership of the project, expand online and distance learning opportunities, increase regional enrolment and strengthen partnerships with industries and international institutions.

The NUC Executive Secretary expressed satisfaction that sustainability plans developed by the centres now include the commencement of PhD programmes, an initiative not originally captured in the World Bank’s performance conditions.

“I am proud to inform you that this is already being actualised, with three of the six centres already commencing PhD programmes, while the remaining three are expected to begin in the next academic session in July 2026,” he announced.

Ribadu also unveiled ambitious targets for the next phase of the project, including the production of at least 60 PhD graduates, enrolment of no fewer than 60 foreign students, facilitation of 18 staff internships and 60 student exchange programmes with foreign institutions.

He disclosed that The Gambia had already indicated interest in sending students to the SPESSE centres and urged vice-chancellors to offer scholarships and accommodation support to attract foreign enrolment.

“My recommendation is that each SPESSE host university should offer some form of scholarship to facilitate and fast-track the enrolment of these foreign students,” he said.

The NUC boss further tasked the centres with establishing functional open and distance learning facilities and deploying robust management information systems to improve institutional efficiency.

“These targets reflect our vision to ensure that SPESSE evolves into a transformative platform for sustainable human capital development capable of sustaining its relevance and impact well beyond the World Bank’s support,” he said.

Ribadu commended the vice-chancellors for their commitment to the initiative and praised the World Bank, BPP, Federal Ministry of Environment, Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and Independent

Third-party verifiers, Binomial Optimus Ltd, for supporting the project.

He reaffirmed NUC’s commitment to sustaining oversight and support for initiatives aimed at improving the quality, relevance and global competitiveness of Nigerian universities.

“It is my expectation that the centres will continue to uphold the highest standards in teaching, research, innovation and service delivery while producing graduates capable of driving sustainable development across the public and private sectors,” Ribadu stated.

On his part, the National Project Coordinator, Dr Joshua Atah, noted that all programmes under SPESSE have undergone resource verification and accreditation by the NUC, with the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) and the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) formally notified. In some universities, he added, new departments and faculties have been created specifically for the programmes, while some centres are already transitioning into full-fledged institutes.

Dr Atah also highlighted the project’s strong integration of technology into learning delivery, adding that investments in virtual classrooms, learning management systems, live-streaming platforms, and high-performance computing infrastructure have expanded access to training while improving the quality and efficiency of instruction.

He added that private sector organisations are increasingly sponsoring internships, field visits, and staff training under the project, helping to bridge the gap between academic training and industry needs. Dedicated resources, he noted, have also been committed to promoting female participation and supporting vulnerable groups across the programme.

Under the Additional Financing phase, Dr Atah explained that attention will increasingly focus on scaling up training across all programme tracks, strengthening professional certification systems, and deepening institutional sustainability.

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