On March 8, 2025, the World Bank Task Team, led by SPESSE Task Team Leader Mr. Ishtiak Badu, met with the Honourable Minister of Women Affairs at the Ministry’s headquarters in Abuja. This meeting was part of the Nigeria Sustainable Procurement, Environmental, and Social Standards Enhancement Project (SPESSE) Additional Financing Identification Mission, which took place between March 3rd and 12th, 2025.
The World Bank team, accompanied by the National SPESSE Project Coordinator Dr. Joshua Ata, discussed the progress of the SPESSE project, which has been operational since 2021 and has been extended until June 2026. The project aims to improve the capacity of practitioners across three key areas: procurement, environmental, and social standards, with the Social Standards Node managed by the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs.
During the meeting, Mr. Badu highlighted the achievements of the project, noting that over 40,000 people have been trained in short, medium, and long-term courses at six Centres of Excellence across the country. The Social Standards Node’s Certification Framework, which was completed in 2024 after an extensive stakeholder’s consultations and engagement will standardize certification for social standards professionals in Nigeria. The Certification Framework and the Social Standards Portal to be officially launched by the Honourable Ministers of the three Implementing Ministries of Women Affairs, Works &Housing, Labour & Productivity.
The Honourable Minister acknowledged the project’s importance and instructed the Project Coordinator to provide a detailed briefing to the Permanent Secretary in order to ensure a clearer understanding and informed decision-making.
The meeting underscored the collaborative effort between the World Bank and the Ministry, with a focus on strengthening Nigeria’s social safeguards and ensuring that the certification process for Social Standards professionals is carried out effectively. The Honourable Minister concluded the meeting by directing that necessary follow-up actions should commence to ensure continued success of the SPESSE project.