Originally launched in February 2020 with an $80 million loan, the SPESSE project is designed to build robust institutional capacity in procurement, environmental, and social standards across both public and private sectors. The World Bank confirmed on its official website that the project’s status is now “active,” following this latest round of approval.
According to the Bank, the core objective of SPESSE is to ensure sustainable capacity building in the delivery and management of procurement systems, environmental safeguards, and social impact protocols—a framework crucial for project integrity, regulatory compliance, and long-term accountability.
The SPESSE initiative is aligned with Nigeria’s broader development strategy under the National Development Plan 2021–2025, particularly in promoting good governance, environmental protection, and social safeguards in public project delivery. Experts say that as Nigeria aggressively pursues infrastructure growth and social development, the capacity to manage procurement and social standards transparently is critical.
The newly approved $65 million injection will be used to scale capacity-building efforts in Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), academic institutions, and private-sector stakeholders involved in project planning and implementation.
The SPESSE approval forms part of a wider financing pipeline from the World Bank for Nigeria in 2025, with $1.61 billion in loans expected across various sectors in the coming months.
Among the most notable upcoming approvals:
$300 million for the Solutions for Internally Displaced and Host Communities Project, aimed at enhancing access to basic services and economic resilience in northern Nigeria.
$10.5 million in technical assistance to the Central Bank of Nigeria.
$500 million for the BRIDGE Project to bolster digital infrastructure.
$500 million for Sustainable Agricultural Value-Chains for Growth—a project targeting job creation and export growth in agriculture.
$300 million for Phase IV of the Health Security Program in Western and Central Africa.
Earlier in March 2025, the World Bank approved $1.13 billion for education, nutrition, and economic resilience. These include:
$80 million for Accelerating Nutrition Results in Nigeria 2.0.
$552 million for HOPE for Quality Basic Education for All.
$500 million for the Community Action for Resilience and Economic Stimulus Programme.
Meanwhile, the Nigerian government had earlier projected $2.2 billion in expected World Bank loans for 2025, following a $1.5 billion disbursement in 2024 to stabilize Nigeria’s economy and boost resource mobilisation.
As of September 30, 2024, Nigeria’s debt exposure to the World Bank’s International Development Association (IDA) stood at $17.1 billion, highlighting the country’s growing reliance on multilateral financing to drive reforms, development, and macroeconomic stability.
Development experts view the SPESSE extension as a critical boost in Nigeria’s ongoing battle to institutionalise transparency, build resilient systems, and strengthen compliance in public service delivery. With governance capacity widely regarded as a weak point in Nigeria’s development narrative, projects like SPESSE could be pivotal in bridging the trust gap between citizens, institutions, and international investors.
However, stakeholders also caution that the impact of these loans hinges on implementation efficiency, transparency in fund utilization, and political will at all levels of government.