BPP Backs ABU Plan to Train More Procurement Officers, Sustain Centres
The Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) has agreed to set up a joint team with Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, to review a proposal to make their procurement partnership permanent.
The proposal was presented on Monday in Abuja by ABU Vice-Chancellor, Professor Adamu Ahmed, during a courtesy visit to BPP Director-General, Dr. Adebowale Adedokun.
The plan seeks to move the partnership beyond the tenure of current leaders. It includes an Executive Education Programme in Public Procurement, integration of the Public Procurement Research Centre (PPRC) into the Sustainable Procurement, Environmental and Social Standards Enhancement (SPESSE) sustainability framework, expanded regional training, commissioned research, professional certification, and improved training infrastructure.
In a statement by Ijeoma Chijioke-Adindu, the Bureau’s Head of Information and Public Relations, Adedokun welcomed the proposal and said the Bureau would give it expeditious consideration.
“We will gladly receive your proposal and set up a small joint team with your team to review it. We will examine the issues and convene another meeting where we will agree on what we are committed to delivering in the next one year and in the next two years,” he said.
The Director-General described the relationship between BPP and ABU as cordial, technical and institutional, and said regulatory actions by the Bureau should not be seen as adversarial but as part of its duty to uphold standards.
He added that the proposed collaboration aligns with BPP’s reform priorities, including Food Security Procurement, Affirmative Procurement, and Community-Based Procurement. He noted that implementing the reforms would require strong academic support in research, curriculum development, and capacity building.
Adedokun expressed optimism that ABU, through the PPRC and SPESSE Centres, would play a leading role, and reiterated BPP’s commitment to ensuring the centres attain and sustain true Centre of Excellence status.
Earlier, Professor Ahmed said the visit was more than a courtesy call, describing it as an opportunity to reaffirm ABU’s longstanding relationship with the Bureau and explore deeper institutional collaboration.
He commended BPP’s leadership in procurement professionalisation, capacity development, electronic Government Procurement (e-GP), transparency, and accountability. He recalled that the PPRC was established in 2016 through collaboration between BPP and ABU, and that the Bureau has remained an invaluable partner in curriculum development and Train-the-Trainer programmes.
Ahmed disclosed that the PPRC has trained over 4,300 procurement practitioners through more than 35 programmes, while the SPESSE Centre trained 3,303 professionals in its first phase and an additional 1,200 since the start of its second phase.
He said ABU’s hosting of both centres reflects its commitment to Nigeria’s public procurement reform agenda.
The meeting ended with the formal presentation of the proposal document, with both institutions expressing optimism that the strengthened partnership would contribute to procurement professionalisation and better value for the nation.
