The University of Benin’s (UNIBEN) Sustainable Procurement, Environmental, and Social Standards Enhancement Centre of Excellence (SPESSE-UNIBEN) has conducted 36 executive short courses, surpassing the target and expectation for the first year. This is part of the Centre’s mandate to deliver short courses and advanced certificate courses as well as postgraduate diplomas, bachelor and master degrees in Procurement, Environmental Standards and Social Standards.
According to the Centre Leader, Professor Sylvester Osuji, the achievements of SPESSE-UNIBEN include the delivery of a series of capacity-building tracks in a sustainable manner in procurement, environmental standards, and social standards. He also revealed that the target of enrolling 45 participants for Procurement, 35 for Environmental Standards and 35 for Social Standards in 2023 has been met.
The Centre continues to deliver short courses for the remaining part of 2023. It has completed the first set of (Advanced Certificate Courses) and admission for the second batch has been advertised, for all three components (procurement, environmental standards, and social standards).
Another accomplishment of the Centre is the approval of the curricula for its master programmes by the University of Benin’s Senate. The first set of students have been enrolled into the programme for all three components and they are set to commence lectures by 1 August 2023.
SPESSE-UNIBEN is also on track to enrol students into its undergraduate programmes, whose curricula have also been approved by the University’s Senate. The Centre intends to admit students from the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) from the 2023 results for the 2023/2024 academic session.
SPESSE-UNIBEN is one of six centres established under the Sustainable Procurement, Environmental, and Social Standards Enhancement (SPESSE) Project to address the challenge of developing sustainable capacity in managing procurement, environmental, and social safeguards in the public sector. SPESSE was conceived on the need to bridge the gap between the insufficient supply of good quality professionals in the procurement, environmental and social sectors and the lack of academic programmes and curricula in these sectors in the Nigerian education system. SPESSE-UNIBEN covers the south-south geopolitical region of Nigeria, offering excellence and building capacity with the implementation of the SPESSE Project.
