Abuja: The Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) and Lagos Business School (LBS) have begun talks on a strategic partnership to strengthen public procurement through capacity building, research, and digital transformation. This initiative aims to enhance public service delivery and governance in Nigeria.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, the discussions were initiated during a courtesy visit by the LBS delegation to the BPP headquarters in Abuja. Zira Nagga, BPP’s Head of Media and Public Relations, issued a statement revealing that the bureau’s Director-General, Dr. Adebowale Adedokun, described the engagement as ‘timely and long overdue.’ Represented by Nasir Bello, Director of Civil Infrastructure Department at BPP, Adedokun stressed the importance of collaborative efforts between the two institutions to support the bureau’s mandate beyond procurement regulation.
Adedokun noted that BPP had already established Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with over 20 professional bodies and expressed a keen interest in adding LBS to this list. He affirmed the bureau’s commitment to partnerships aimed at enhancing public service delivery and announced plans to formalize the collaboration through an MOU. Both parties agreed to form a joint committee to draft the agreement and develop an implementation roadmap.
Prof. Olayinka David-West, Dean of LBS, emphasized the potential of this collaboration to support public sector transformation and contribute to the Federal Government’s vision of building a one trillion-dollar economy. She identified executive education, competency development, organizational transformation, and the responsible application of emerging technologies, including Artificial Intelligence, in public procurement as potential areas for partnership. She also proposed documenting the bureau’s reforms to create learning resources for policymakers and future public sector leaders.
Mr. Victor Banjo, Director of Executive Education at LBS, praised the bureau’s efforts in promoting efficiency, transparency, and accountability in public procurement. He suggested establishing a joint working group to identify priority areas for collaboration and develop practical learning materials. Additional areas of collaboration include institutional strengthening, research and documentation, digital transformation, ethical procurement, and possibly establishing a Centre for Public Procurement Studies to promote best practices across Africa.
The statement highlighted the bureau’s ongoing digital transformation initiatives, such as the World Bank-supported Electronic Government Procurement (e-GP) platform. Both organizations agreed that technology-driven reforms must be supported by effective change management, leadership development, and institutional readiness to ensure sustainable outcomes.
Both institutions expressed optimism that the partnership would bolster Nigeria’s procurement system, improve governance, and help cultivate a new generation of ethical and competent public sector leaders.