On February 23–28, 2026, the Centre of Excellence in Sustainable Procurement, Environmental and Social Standards (CE-sPESS) at the Federal University of Technology Owerri (FUTO) hosted its February edition of the Executive Tracks A & B Workshops, focusing on addressing Community Health and Safety risks in developmental projects. Recognising the urgent need for standard-driven solutions to Nigeria’s complex developmental challenges—including poverty, inadequate infrastructure, and poorly equipped hospitals and schools—the Centre trained over 1,000 professionals to effectively manage projects involving Supply Chain Management, Livelihood Displacement, and Social Impact.
The hybrid workshop, blending face-to-face sessions and instructor-led self-paced learning via the FUTO Learning Management System (LMS), equipped participants with knowledge in Procurement Management according to the law, Environmental health implications of development projects, Community Health and Safety risk identification and assessment, preparation and implementation of Community Health and Safety Plans, and safeguarding Indigenous Peoples and Project-Affected Communities, in alignment with the World Bank Environmental and Social Framework (ESF) and other Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs) standards, as well as relevant Nigerian laws and regulations.
While welcoming participants at the opening ceremony, Prof Gloria Chukwudebe, the Centre Leader, emphasised that the training was designed to put quality education at participants’ fingertips and produce well-informed Procurement, Environmental, and Social Safeguard Officers for socially inclusive development. In her words, “Most procurements impact the environment and social life of the people; non-compliance with environmental and social standards can result in conflicts, outbreaks of health issues, worsening climate change, and increasing poverty due to government acquisition of land without appropriate settlement of indigenes. Once there is adequate capacity to package Procurement and mitigate Procurement Risks in the country, our socio-economic development will triple in a short time.” She urged participants to actively engage in the workshop to acquire skills that would improve productivity in their respective fields.
The Modules covered included:
– Procurement Management (PRM): Legal, Regulatory and Organisational Frameworks for Public Procurement, Strategic Procurement Planning and Budgeting, Procurement Management for Goods, and Procurement Management for Works.
– Environmental Standards: Understanding Environmental and Social Assessment and Environmental and Social Framework & Assessment Process.
– Social Standards: Fundamentals of Social Standards and Social Impact Assessment, Understanding Social and Environmental Impact Assessment, Land Acquisition, Resettlement Planning and Implementation, Resettlement Action Plan (RAP) and Livelihood Needs Assessment Plan (LNAP) in World Bank and other MFI-financed projects.
The sessions were led by experienced facilitators who drew from real-life field experiences, and featured focused group discussions, case studies, and hands-on tasks. Participants expressed excitement and satisfaction, praising the Centre for packaging such a comprehensive programme to enhance skills, productivity, and efficiency.
According to Olatoye Comfort, a PRM online participant, “I want to express our collective gratitude and our heartfelt thanks to the organisers. Your meticulous planning and seamless execution made this complex program flow effortlessly. From the logistics to the learning materials, every detail was handled with professionalism, creating an environment where we could focus entirely on learning. We realised the importance of compliance and fairness in the procurement process, and learnt that procurement is not just an administrative task, but a strategic function that drives organisational success.”
Mr Abel Aaron from EVS noted, “I really enjoyed the programme; it was eye-opening. I learnt about the environment and social standards, how to enhance capacity for safeguard compliance and social risk management in World Bank Development projects. The insights on frameworks and processes were valuable.”
Finally, Mr Patric Ugbori, an SSD participant, stated, “The Workshop was very interesting. I am grateful for the depth of knowledge shared, particularly exposure to best practices in socially inclusive development. The sessions on Social Impact Assessment and Resettlement Planning were particularly enlightening. I hope to do my Masters and PhD in CE-sPESS. I appreciate FUTO CE-sPESS for the organisation, and thank the World Bank and NUC for bringing the programme to us.”
The FUTO CE-sPESS team celebrates the success of this workshop and remains committed to empowering professionals for sustainable and socially responsible development across Nigeria.