By Favour Ulebor, Abuja

The Federal government has inaugurated the Working Group on Environmental Standards for the Sustainable Procurement Environmental and Social Standards Enhancement Project.

The Sustainable Procurement, Environmental, and Social Standards Enhancement Project, SPESSE, seek to address a critical gap in the country’s capacity, including the inadequate supply of qualified professionals in procurement, environmental management, and social standards.

The Minister of Environment, Balarabe Lawal said said this during his remarks on Tuesday in Abuja.

He said the project will play a pivotal role in filling this void, and equip Nigeria’s workforce with the expertise needed to drive sustainable practices across various sectors, while expressing full confidence that the working group will work diligently and collaboratively to achieve the set objectives.

“We have recognized the need for a stronger pool of professionals in procurement, environmental management, and social standards. By establishing this working group, we are taking a proactive step toward bridging this gap and building sustainable capacity in these sectors. This is essential not only for the success of the project but also for the long-term sustainability and resilience of our economy and society.

“I expect that the recommendations and standards developed by this group will be robust, evidence-based, and actionable, with the potential to make a meaningful impact on the global environmental landscape,” he said.

According to the Minister the Working Group on Environment Standards (WgES) holds a central place in the country’s efforts to enhance support and foster relevant stakeholders’ collaboration, both of which are fundamental pillars of the SPESSE Project Development Objectives (PDOs).

“By uniting line experts and harnessing their collective expertise, the Working Group on Environmental Standards (WgES) will play a crucial role in supporting the Project Implementation Unit (PIU) in developing a nationally and globally respected certification scheme, this scheme will not only raise the bar for environmental standards in our country but also position us as a leader in sustainable development on the international stage,” he said

He further stressed that the project’s goals align with President Tinubu’s vision for a more transparent procurement process.

“By enhancing our environmental and social standards, we are taking a significant step towards achieving this objective, this initiative is integral to our broader goals of enhanced capacity for global competitiveness, economic growth and job creation, a skilled workforce is essential to driving innovation and resilience. by developing and implementing an effective National certification scheme, we are not only investing in the future of our environment but also in the prosperity of our nation.” The Minister said.

The Project Coordinator SPESSE, Rofikat Odetoro, said the project sponsored by the World Bank is to enhance the capacity of environmental professionals of Nigera.

“The project was designed to closed out by October due to the effects of Covid 19 we lost two years, so we have gone back to the world bank since the fund is still there to extend the life of the project, because during the lifespan of the project civil servants and all Nigerians would trained free at no cost.” She said.