Imperative of human resources in effective public procurement: Challenges and prospects in Nigeria

Introduction

Public procurement is an important component of governance, as it comprises purchases by a government to ensure quality and efficient public service delivery. The public procurement process requires technical competence in various areas, including financial, legal, administrative, sector-specific knowledge, and an understanding of local and global supply chains from where the public goods and services will be sourced. In this regard, the human resource system and skill development programs, often referred to as human development, are part of extensive public procurement reforms. Appiah (2011) argued that the effective application of procurement regulations requires a well-trained workforce, and human resource development initiatives must be periodic and consistent, given the constant evolution in the budgeting system or political and economic environments.

In Nigeria, insufficient capacity in public institutions has been identified as a major barrier to effective procurement processes. Familoye, Ogunsemi and Awodele (2015), in a survey of public officials, found that consultants and contractors ranked the shortage of public procurement practitioners as the most pressing challenge, even above political interference, within the subset of respondents who identified as public officials. The reliance on inexperienced and untrained personnel to manage procurement functions has become a critical obstacle to compliance with the Public Procurement Act of 2007. This deficiency has compromised the effectiveness of procurement processes across various Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs), impeding the achievement of project objectives.

The effectiveness of policy and institutional reforms depends on the continuous development of available human resources. For example, Appiah (2011) points to capacity deficiencies as a factor in the poor implementation of the 2007 Public Procurement Act. Prior research suggests that many government MDAs are deficient in qualified procurement staff, hence impeding the establishment of effective procurement systems.

The World Bank Country Assessment Report (2000), which was the first major evaluation of the procurement system in Nigeria, also highlighted the procurement capacity challenges. The report recommended conducting a needs assessment for procurement professionals, implementing a certification system aligned with defined civil service grade levels, and expanding training opportunities.

This policy brief examines the procurement capacity challenges in Nigeria and offers key policy recommendations to address them. It discusses the size and scope of Nigeria’s public sector as an indicator of the growing need for procurement officers and reviews the nature of procurement training available at the federal and state levels, focusing on capacity-building efforts. Building on existing literature such as Mahamadu et al. (2018) and Manu et al. (2021), this brief contributes to our understanding of the gaps in addressing procurement capacity at the federal and state levels. A major contribution of this brief is the inclusion of subnational spheres of government into the discourse. The most recent statistics show that state and local governments receive 47.32%¹ of national revenue, and effective service delivery in Nigeria requires a competent procurement workforce at these levels as well. Whilst earlier assessments, such as the World Bank Country Procurement Assessment Report, prompted reforms and interventions, including the creation of procurement cadres and the establishment of key training centers, these were focused on the federal level, and significant challenges persist in meeting the capacity needs in public procurement at the subnational levels.

In addition, existing studies have focused on specific sectors and take a linear view of human resource needs and procurement reforms. For example, Asiedu, et al. and Manu, et al. analyze procurement human resource needs from the perspective of infrastructure procurement. emphasize the bidirectional relationship between reforms and human resources needs. On the one hand, human resource management, which entails recruitment, hiring, deployment, and effective management of employees, is a key component of public procurement reforms. However, reform success is also dependent on the human resource system and leads to higher demand for workers and skillsets. For example, e-procurement reform will lead to higher demand for Information and Communication Technology (ICT) infrastructure and skills. The brief explores these dimensions of the public procurement processes in Nigeria.

This brief utilizes a mixed-methods approach, combining descriptive analysis, key informant interviews (KIIs), and a comprehensive document and literature review. KIIs were conducted with stakeholders involved in public procurement at the federal level and in the states of Ekiti and Kaduna, which were selected due to their recent procurement reform initiatives. Using the purposeful sampling method, a total of 24 stakeholders, including government officials and private sector representatives, were engaged to identify the challenges facing the procurement system. The descriptive analysis complements these findings, exploring the size of the public sector and the demand for procurement officers, as well as the training system available for procurement professionals (see methodology annex).

This brief is part of a series of research policy briefs developed in collaboration between the Centre for the Study of the Economies of Africa (CSEA), the Brookings Institution, and Stellenbosch University. The studies have investigated various aspects of public procurement in Nigeria, including procurement transparency, gender-inclusive procurement, and behavioral insights for procurement reform. Collectively, this emerging body of evidence provides recommendations that could help the government in Nigeria create a more open, inclusive, and cost-effective procurement process.

Procurement capacity development reforms in Nigeria

As part of a public sector reform agenda, the former president, Olusegun Obasanjo, commissioned the World Bank to assess the public procurement system in Nigeria. The Country Procurement Assessment Reports (CPAR) Volume 1 and Volume 2 identified issues with existing public procurement capacity, including: (i) a shortage of trained procurement professionals and inadequate training for existing procurement staff; and (ii) the inadequate nature of existing training opportunities.

The CPAR prompted the implementation of several measures aimed at addressing the gaps in procurement capacity. The Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP), which is a procurement regulator, established a professional procurement cadre in 2008 within each ministry, department, and agency at the federal level. The goal was to professionalize the procurement officers through specialized training. The BPP also provides regular training for procurement officers, as required by the Public Procurement Act of 2007. The BPP also established two training centers. The first one was established at the Federal University of Technology, Owerri in 2012, while the second one was established at the Ahmadu Bello University in Zaria in 2016.

In 2019, the Nigerian Ministry of Education and National University Commission collaborated with the World Bank to establish the Sustainable Procurement, Environmental, and Social Standards Centers of Excellence (SPESSCEs) in three Nigerian federal universities, whilst upgrading the training centers that already existed in three universities.² At present, these six training institutions are dedicated to public procurement, tasked with serving over 5,000 MDAs across federal, state, and local levels.

Assessment of the current procurement capacity development landscape in Nigeria

This section presents a descriptive analysis of the nature of procurement capacity in Nigeria. First, we examine the size and scope of the public sector to provide insight into the trends in terms of capacity needs for procurement systems. Second, the section explores the training of procurement officials to understand the methods used to meet the growing demand for procurement capacity. This section draws on information gathered through document analysis.

Size and scope of the public sector

A key determinant of public procurement capacity needs is the number of public sector agencies (contracting authorities) involved in procurement which engage in procurement activities that must be carried out according to public procurement regulations. In the absence of a capacity needs assessment for public procurement, the number of contracting authorities serves as a useful proxy to track the demand for public procurement capacity in Nigeria.

Nigeria has a federalist system consisting of a federal government, 36 states (plus the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja), and 774 local governments. There are three branches of government represented in the federal, state, and local governments—executive, legislative, and judiciary. Each of these tiers operates through MDAs that support various governmental functions. The implication of this is that a procurement department is required for each MDA within each tier and level of government. Estimates show that the federal government (executive branch alone) has 943 ministries, departments, and agencies, and 541 publicly funded corporations. The subnational levels have a much smaller structure, with Ekiti State operating with 15 ministries and 65 agencies/departments and Kaduna State with 14 ministries and 56 agencies.³ Assuming that Kaduna and Ekiti are representative of the national average, with approximately 75 MDAs per state, translating the MDAs at the subnational level across the 36 states and FCT results in at least 2775 MDAs at the state level.⁴ Additionally, there are 774 local governments, each operating their own MDAs. This complex system makes it difficult to accurately gauge the number of MDAs at this level.

Government size and the implications for procurement capacity

Government size measures the share of government activities within the economy and reflects the level of public sector spending. Figure 1 shows the government size as measured by the federal and subnational government’s (Kaduna State and Ekiti State) budgets between 2019 and 2023. The upward trajectory of both recurrent and capital expenditure illustrates a steady increase in the budget over the past five years. For instance, federal government expenditure increased by 10.8% between 2023 and 2024. The increasing budget underscores the need for a skilled procurement workforce to ensure efficient resource allocation and achieve optimal value for money. Furthermore, the growth in government size is more pronounced at the federal level than in the two selected states, signaling a greater workforce need at the federal level.

Figure 1. Recurrent and capital expenditures (budget) at the federal and subnational levels

Data sources: Federal Government; Kaduna State; Ekiti State.
Notes: The Y-axis represents expenditures (billon in Naira) while the X-axis represents years.
The federal government’s recurrent and capital expenditures are collected from budget documents available from the Budget Office of the Federation. Both Ekiti and Kaduna States’ recurrent and capital expenditures are collected from the BudgiT interactive page on state public finance.     

The trend for the budgets at the federal level does not reflect the total public spending, as it excludes the budgets of specific Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs), government-owned enterprises, and loans from multilateral institutions. The activities under public-private partnerships that are governed by procurement regulations are also not captured within the budget. This means that meeting the demand for procurement professionals requires expansion of the workforce within procurement departments.

Training of procurement professionals

To meet the high and increasing demand for a skilled procurement workforce, the education system must respond with programs that provide the necessary skill requirements, and there are various courses offered on procurement through universities and other institutions in Nigeria.

First, the database on university admission managed by the Federal Ministry of Education shows that in 2022, outside of the SPESSCEs, only 542 people were admitted into the procurement department and related fields in Nigerian universities to study the following courses: procurement and supply chain (433), procurement management (90), and procurement (19).

This low level of procurement admissions highlights a significant gap in foundational training for procurement professionals, and there is currently an insufficient number of students being prepared for careers in procurement in Nigerian universities.

With the limited uptake through undergraduate programs, many short courses have emerged to meet the demand for procurement professionals. These include the establishment of specialized training centers such as the SPESSCEs and the Public Procurement Research Centres set up by the BPP in Imo and Kaduna States.

The SPESSCEs were established to enhance the capacity and professionalism of procurement officials and to develop and implement curricula for training procurement officers in both the public and private sectors. The curriculum for the various procurement training centers in Nigeria contains short training modules on procurement planning, procurement methods, sustainable public procurement, drafting technical specifications, conducting procurement evaluations, contract administration and management, risk analysis, donor-funded procurements, procurement audits, conflict management, and public-private partnerships, among others. However, the curriculum is not standardized across the different training centers in the country.

The SPESSCEs also offer undergraduate and postgraduate programs in three major areas: procurement management, environmental standards, and social standards. Some centers also offer monthly short-term programs for procurement professionals. Additionally, specialized organizations such as the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply Management of Nigeria also offer training programs in procurement and supply chain management.

Overall, these training centers offer procurement officers valuable opportunities to acquire knowledge and skills aligned with international best practices. However, they also face challenges, such as the difficulty for many procurement officers to balance learning with their work obligations. This can negatively impact the quality of learning and the ability to apply acquired knowledge in practical settings. During our interviews, a stakeholder highlighted that there is also the risk of politicization of the process, with the heads of MDAs influencing the transition into the procurement cadre (see Section 4). The stakeholder engagement conducted as part of this policy brief confirmed the issue of politicization of the procurement system in addition to other challenges highlighted in the next section.

Challenges with procurement capacity development in Nigeria

Human resource development is critical to improving service delivery in both the public and private sectors. This is especially important in public procurement, where the government must ensure value for money in the acquisitions process, requiring an effective workforce. According to Banjoko and Adisa-Oke, training and retraining of human resources is required to increase their productivity, which in turn facilitates the achievement of public organization goals by providing better service delivery.

The effectiveness of the public procurement system and the attainment of value for money is dependent on the efficiency of Nigerian procurement officials. However, during the KIIs, a number of challenges were said to be confronting procurement capacity development in Nigeria. This section explores some of these challenges.

Political interference in the employment process

The quality of the public sector workforce begins with the recruitment process. A thorough recruitment and selection process ensures that the most qualified candidates are hired. According to Colonnelli et al.,  politicians frequently exercise discretion over the selection of individuals for public employment, particularly for coveted positions. As a result, the employment process may not be meritorious, resulting in the recruitment of individuals lacking the necessary skills for the respective MDAs. Briggs observed that the recruitment process in Nigeria’s public parastatals both at federal and state levels lacks equity and transparency, making it difficult to recruit the best-qualified people into public offices. These current barriers to merit-based hiring pose a significant challenge to addressing skill gaps within the public sector. Additionally, our interviews revealed that public sector employees may lobby for specific placements or redeployment from one MDA to another. This practice was evident in responses from individuals at the federal level, who indicated a preference for placement in departments overseeing significant procurement contracts. Such practices are commonplace in the public sector and affect procurement departments and other government functions with the potential to negatively impact procurement goals.

“When the Procurement Act was passed, there was an infusion of technocrats who trained a lot of people. Over time, the employment of different kinds of people into procurement departments has created a kind of skill gap.”
-Federal respondent

Similarly, respondents from the states also asserted that employment in the public sector, including procurement departments, is characterized by political interference, where politicians determine who gets employed.

“One of the problems is that political interests play a significant role in determining the level of transparency and employment in the state’s public sector.”
–State respondent

Lack of regular professional development

Training newly-hired recruits and retraining existing procurement officials is critical to ensuring that procurement projects are successfully completed and provide value for money. However, this remains a challenge in the public sector, particularly within public procurement departments in Nigeria and among junior staff. In most cases, senior staff attend training programs with the expectation that they will pass their knowledge on to their junior colleagues. However, evidence from interviewees indicates that this does not happen in practice. Only a small fraction of procurement officers has access to on-the-job training and skills development programs. This training deficit exacerbates the already existing shortage of certified procurement officials with the necessary expertise.

“When you go for training. You step down the training to other staff. You step down and brainstorm with other staff as nobody is an island, and as a researcher, I ensure that they do the same. However, this is usually not the case for most officials, especially those at the top level with busy schedules.”
-Federal respondent

Limited budget for training

Although the government budgets some funds for training each year, the funds are insufficient to cover the training of all procurement officials at the federal and state levels. The Kaduna State Public Procurement Authority annual report for 2022 (page 22) identified a lack of adequate operational funding as one of the challenges preventing the organization from carrying out one of its core mandates, which is the training and retraining of its procurement personnel. The budget for training varies across MDAs. In 2024, the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare’s budget for training was NGN34.7 million. For the Ministry of Education (headquarters), the general local training budget for 2024 was NGN50.6 million (see page 1270). These sums relate to the budget for all training including for procurement officers and are insufficient for the existing capacity needs. According to Okolie and Urhibo, one of the most significant barriers that undermine capacity development is a lack of funding for adequate training, which has the potential to impede an organization’s effort to develop its workforce, whether private or public.

Poor remuneration of procurement workers

A well-compensated workforce is extrinsically motivated for higher performance. A comparison of remuneration of procurement specialists in the public sector (average NGN364,469 per annum) and private sectors (average NGN1,440,000 per annum) shows that there is a huge gap in salaries. The public sector salaries have not kept pace with the high rate of inflation in Nigeria. However, low compensation for public sector employees, particularly those in procurement roles, contradicts the aim of public procurement—securing value for money. Poor compensation for procurement officials can demotivate them and increase their susceptibility to corrupt practices. In addition, poor compensation limits workers’ ability to invest in personal development programs and training through their own resources. Inadequate pay makes procurement workers vulnerable to fraudulent behaviors, which may originate from bidders for public works or services. The study by Abdulahi and Mansor submitted that several factors are responsible for the perpetration of fraud in the public sector in Nigeria, especially the greediness of high-profile government officials and the poor standard of living among the lower-ranking officers engineered by low salary payments. Hence, they enjoined the government to establish salary scale reform to augment the salary of the lower-ranking officers. Also, evidence from the KIIs conducted showed that there is a link between poor remuneration and corruption in public procurement contracts. This is shown in the response of one respondent as follows:

“The other area where I think something needs to be done is remuneration. If procurement officers are put on different salaries, there would be strength to resist the pressure that comes from corruption or to not be seriously inclined to engage in corruption. We know very well that no matter how much we incentivize people not to be corrupt, those who want to be corrupt will be corrupt. However, there are those who may not want to get involved in corruption.”
-Federal respondent

Limited training institutions

Another barrier to workforce development in Nigeria is the limited number of training institutions, particularly those that specialize in training procurement professionals. There are currently six SPESSCEs in Nigerian universities that offer procurement programs. This is an extremely small number given the high number of MDAs at the federal, state, and local levels.  The limited number of training institutions can significantly impact capacity development in both the public and private sectors. With few specialized centers offering procurement-related courses, public-sector employees have limited opportunities to acquire necessary skills, resulting in an underdeveloped workforce that could jeopardize public service delivery. Furthermore, the lack of continuous, accessible, and well-structured training programs prevents procurement officers from meeting the demands of procurement changes and reforms. The limited access to training institutions is noted to be more pronounced at the state level due to a lack of sub-national government investment in procurement capacity.

“We have six universities carrying out procurement training, like the Federal University of Technology, Owerri, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, and so on.  They are called the Centers of Excellence. BPP also established two training centers in Owerri and Zaria.”
–Federal respondent

Considering the size of government at the federal and state levels, including the Federal Capital Territory, these centers of excellence at the six universities may not be sufficient to meet the demand for training of procurement officers in the public sector.

Limitations of donor-led procurement training programs

Donor agencies such as the World Bank have supported Nigeria in strengthening its procurement workforce. The World Bank assisted in the establishment of the six specialized procurement training centers and also helps train procurement workers. For instance, the World Bank offers a massive open online course which can be taken at any time in addition to in-person courses offered on occasion within developing countries. However, most of the training programs are offered in an ad hoc fashion or occasionally. Such ad hoc or occasional training is not a sustainable source of capacity development and does not cover a wide spectrum of government procurement cadres. Even in advanced countries like the U.S., procurement training does not always benefit many states and counties. In addition to this, the World Bank employs the services of an independent procurement agent (IPA) to carry out some of its contracts, with the aim of preventing fraud and corruption in project execution and enhancing the donor’s integrity in its efforts towards sustainable development. However, the use of independent procurement agents does not address downstream or contract management processes, which are also vulnerable to fraud and corruption risks. IPA is clearly inconsistent with longer-term institutional development goals. IPA transfers the burden of managing reputational risks on donor-financed projects from the government to a third party. This mechanism has also not had a positive spillover effect on public procurement practices or effective project execution. Focusing on system-level risks across all projects, regardless of the financing sources (whether from donors or the government’s internal resources), could yield more benefits. To safeguard their funds, donors tend to often overemphasize cumbersome procedural compliance at the expense of local capacity building. Additionally, most donor capacity supports tend to be fragmented. Capacity-building support is designed and managed project-by-project; it is difficult, therefore, to capture cross-sectoral issues and opportunities and to learn lessons across projects. Moreover, numerous projects that prioritize capacity building as a secondary goal often lack clear and well-monitored objectives.

Lack of core skills

The most pressing issue among public procurement workers is a lack of core procurement skills. These skills range from a lack of understanding of procurement law to technological skills for e-procurement deployment, negotiation skills, and financial and accounting knowledge. For instance, evidence from the two states (Ekiti and Kaduna) shows particularly a glaring lack of ICT knowledge among the procurement workers.

“The adoption of e-procurement in Kaduna State indicates that the public procurement process is evolving towards a paperless system; thus, digital knowledge becomes imperative. Most government procurement staff are not ICT savvy and can’t effectively solve problems contractors complained about when submitting their bidding documents. On the other hand, most contractors do not have dedicated procurement units or staff saddled with the responsibility of preparing the technical and financial bids. Due to the lack of digital knowledge, most of these contractors engage the services of Café owners to prepare their bidding documents, which sometimes leads to the loss of bids.”
–State respondent, Kaduna

The lack of core skills among public procurement workers presents a significant challenge to the development of the procurement system. The public procurement process is very complex and thus requires a well-rounded skillset. A lack of these skills prevents officials from managing procurement projects in a way that guarantees value for money to the government.

Policy recommendations

Addressing the issue of capacity in Nigerian public procurement will have several benefits, including promoting value for money, sustaining economic growth, and ensuring effective public sector governance. Policy reforms aimed at enhancing the capability of procurement officers can mitigate the current challenges to achieving these goals.

Reducing political interference

Implementing policy measures to minimize political interference in the hiring process at all levels of government is of the utmost importance. One strategy is for government agencies, particularly the Federal Civil Service Commission, to clearly define the hiring criteria for each procurement position, including academic qualifications, skill requirements, experience, and competence. This approach will ensure that the most qualified candidates are recruited and properly prepared for their roles. However, the potential for political interference may persist. To further mitigate this, regular audits of the recruitment process, in partnership with private organizations, could be employed. Digitalization of the recruitment process will be crucial. For example, Indonesia introduced a computer-based examination of recruitment into public service in 2013 to reduce corruption and political interference. A similar measure in Nigeria would promote accountability, fairness, and transparency in public sector recruitment. By doing so, the level of political interference—often detrimental to the hiring of qualified personnel in MDA procurement departments—could be significantly reduced.

Providing access to training opportunities

Enhancing the technical skills of procurement officials requires regular and accessible training opportunities. The government should adopt a multifaceted approach to achieve this, incorporating legislative mandates, institutional support, and strategic collaborations with relevant stakeholders. The government can implement policies that mandate specific training programs for procurement officers and allocate funds to support these initiatives, ensuring that ongoing professional development is prioritized across the public sector. While various institutions already offer procurement-related courses, the government can further encourage higher education institutions in Nigeria to develop and provide courses on different aspects of procurement. This would ensure that public sector employees have access to relevant, cost-effective training tailored to their specific needs. Regular needs assessments should also be conducted to tailor training programs to the unique demands of different procurement departments and positions. Additionally, encouraging participation in online short courses related to procurement would offer a diverse range of learning opportunities, ultimately enhancing the skills of the procurement workforce.⁵

Budgeting for procurement training

Budgeting for training is critical for the development of procurement officials. However, the budget must be designed in such a way that it specifically addresses the demands of procurement personnel. This will involve the allocation of funds to targeted training programs, workshops, and certifications that address current procurement challenges, improve technical competence, and keep officials up to date on legal, ethical, and technological advancements. For example, the budget could be divided among various training areas such as legal compliance, negotiation skills, ICT and e-procurement expertise, and project management, among others. This can be part of a broader reform around performance-based budgeting to ensure that training is targeted to areas with the most needs. This ensures that procurement experts are better equipped to manage complex procurement procedures or processes, optimize public spending, and achieve policy objectives.

Remuneration of procurement officers

Poor remuneration in the public sector is one of the reasons why it does not attract highly skilled workers. Good remuneration can serve as a magnet to attract highly-skilled procurement experts into the public sector and even motivate existing public sector workers to engage in self-development activities. A thorough examination of existing salary structures is required to ensure competitive compensation following industry standards and the complexity of procurement jobs. Procurement units can be designated as specialized units that require special compensation. The Nigerian government has already established different compensation schemes for different functions and between different MDAs. However, it is important to make such compensations performance-based, or linked to measurable outcomes, such as cost savings, efficiency gains, and compliance with procurement regulations.

Limiting ad-hoc approaches

A long-term and sustainable national procurement capacity-building framework should be established. The Nigerian government should institutionalize procurement training within existing educational institutions. This could include supporting procurement programs in more universities, polytechnics, colleges of education, as well as specialized institutions, to ensure that public procurement officials and potential recruits receive continuous and structured training. Nigeria should move from occasional, donor-dependent training to a more sustainable and systems-based approach to procurement capacity development. This will require a detailed needs assessment to customize training programs to existing requirements. Furthermore, procurement regulators should implement regular monitoring, evaluation, and learning to ensure the effectiveness of training programs.

Collaboration with relevant stakeholders

Strengthening collaboration between the federal and state governments is essential for fostering knowledge exchange and capacity development in public procurement. A significant proportion of the respondents from the KIIs alluded to the poor collaboration between different government institutions.

“We only relied on the internal procurement unit, which might be sometimes inadequate, but there is not much you can do about it. Maybe ability to work with other departments might have improved things a bit.”
-State official respondent

A public-private partnership is also needed to facilitate mentorship programs and knowledge-sharing initiatives across geopolitical zones and sectors. These collaborations can play a vital role in bridging skills gaps and ensuring that procurement professionals are equipped with the expertise needed to excel in their roles.

Through these interventions, Nigeria can cultivate a skilled workforce capable of driving efficient, transparent procurement processes. This will contribute significantly to the country’s socioeconomic development and improve citizen welfare.

Conclusion

This brief examined the challenges in procurement capacity development in Nigeria. The public sector workforce requires specialized skills, including technical, ethical, analytical, communication, digital, project management, and negotiation skills. The insufficient number of procurement officials, the scarcity of procurement-focused educational programs, insufficient training opportunities, low pay for existing employees, and political influence in recruitment stymie the improvement of the procurement system.

There have been efforts by relevant stakeholders to improve procurement skills in Nigeria. For instance, the implementation of the SPESSCEs provide vital training in procurement best practices, social standards, and environmental issues. These programs empower public officials while promoting ethical governance. Closing the gaps in procurement capacity has tremendous benefits. A competent workforce promotes value for money in public spending, fosters long-term economic growth, and enhances public sector governance. Thus, continuous reforms are critical to developing the workforce that drives the public procurement system.

Methodology annex⁶

The study employed a mixed-methods approach, combining descriptive analysis, key informant interviews (KIIs), and document and literature review to examine the challenges in public procurement labor force development in Nigeria. We conducted the research at both the federal and state levels. The research was conducted in two states, Ekiti State and Kaduna State. The two states were chosen for two distinct reasons. First, both states have been at the forefront of public procurement reforms at the subnational levels (e-procurement reform), which is in line with the new Methodology for Assessing Procurement Systems (MAPS) tool by the World Bank. Understanding how skills gaps are a constraint in these jurisdictions will be crucial to larger reform efforts at both national and local levels. Second, the selection also reflects the cultural and geographical context, with Ekiti representing the southern region and Kaduna representing the northern region.

For the qualitative approach, we conducted key informant interviews (KIIs) with individuals who have firsthand experience in Nigeria’s procurement processes. These interviews were designed to gather detailed information on the labor force needs within the public procurement departments.⁷ By supplementing our desk review with these practical insights, we aimed to achieve a more comprehensive understanding of the challenges in this area. Using a purposive sampling approach, we targeted key stakeholders including government officials, training institutes like the Sustainable Procurement, Environmental, and Social Standards Centers of Excellence (SPESSCEs), as well as representatives from the private sector and civil society. In total, 24 individuals were interviewed: 13 of them were public sector officials working on procurement—5 from MDA officials at the federal level and 8 at the subnational level—while 10 were from private organizations and civil society, including advocacy groups and a women’s entrepreneurial association. The KIIs were conducted using semi-structured interview guides designed to elicit detailed responses about the skills and competencies of procurement officers, gaps in their training, and suggestions for improvement. Depending on the participants’ location and availability, we conducted interviews either in person or virtually.

The data collected from the desk reviews and KIIs were analyzed using a contextual analysis approach. This involved transcribing the interviews, coding the data to identify recurring themes and patterns, and triangulating the findings with the information obtained from the desk reviews. The analysis sought to identify specific areas where workforce needs exist, to uncover the underlying causes of these gaps, and propose potential strategies to address them.

We complement this evidence with descriptive analysis and document review. The descriptive analysis entails tracking of trends in workforce needs and access to training using various secondary data. Given the absence of holistic needs assessments on labor force needs for procurement in Nigeria, we relied on proxy indicators such as the number of MDAs, the budget size, and the level of capital expenditure to quantify the trends in labor force requirements for public procurement. The study also examined training for procurement officers. We collected secondary data on higher education admission into procurement-related courses. The analysis was triangulated with document and literature review that provides complementary evidence or context to understand the key findings.