By Dickson Pat
Director General of the Bureau of Public Procurement ,BPP, Dr Adebowale Adedokun, has Pledge to transform Nigeria into Dubai of Africa through fidelity to the right training and knowledge, and best procurement practices.
Adedokun announced his commitment to the transformation of Nigeria into Dubai of Africa when he signed a Memorandum of Understanding ,MoU, with the Chief Executive Officer ,CEO, of the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply ,CIPS, United Kingdom, African Region and Asia Pacific, Mr. Ben Farrell in Abuja.
The public procurement boss, in a press release by Zira Zakka Nagga, Head of Public Relations ,BPP, dated June 6, 2025, said that knowledge in procurement processes was essential to navigate problems of life, as procurement practice was not only centred on awards of contracts but also was broader and wider in its praxis.
He disclosed that the Bureau had embarked on a number of projects aimed at bolstering Nigeria’s drive to take its rightful place on the global stage in terms of adherence to best procurement practices.
Adedokun cited one of such initiatives as the Sustainable Procurement Environmental and Social Standards Enhancement ,SPESSE, project, which, according to him, had set Nigeria on the global space to impact the world significantly.
He underscored his vision and agenda to help in the development of the country through the right training, retraining, and impartation of knowledge about best procurement practices that would transform Nigeria into “Dubai of Africa”.
The DG BPP said he envisioned a Nigeria where all countries would be represented and where industries and local content would grow, stressing that these would be achieved by collaborating with different professional bodies such as CIPS.
He stated that Nigeria, through BPP, would tap CIPS for support for rightful procurement practices through its numerous programmes and initiatives.
Adedokun emphasised that the MoU was to deepen the existing partnership with CIPS, a lead in global procurement practice, as well as a catalyst to support a national procurement practice in Nigeria.
He underscored the role of technology in driving procurement processes, practices, and reforms but noted that without adequate human development, technology would become inoperable.
According to him, “Therefore, there should be focus on human capacity development for officers to be trained and provided with the necessary certification that will enable them compete globally.
“BPP is championing a career part in procurement in Nigeria as over 8,000 officers will benefit from the partnership with CIPS. BPP, as a regulatory body, will institute a proper regulatory framework to regulate procurement ethics, good governance, and procurement practice in Nigeria, and everyone is expected to comply”.
Adedokun said that there were two units in the Bureau: The Price Intelligent Unit ,PIU, and External Cooperation Unit ,ECU, to drive the MoU and to tap into the resources of CIPS on how prices were done in terms of consultancy, goods, works and services, in order to eliminate variations in prices.
The MoU brings both entities together to uphold the principles of good procurement practices and reaffirms the shared commitment to building a stronger and prosperous Nigeria.
CIPS CEO, Mr. Ben Farrell commended the Nigerian government for the recent impact that the country had made in the world.
He said that “CIPS brings best standard in terms of ethical procurement practices, and serves as a benchmark around the world”, pointing out that CIPS’ commitment to show up in Nigeria was a bigger voice and bigger presence to fulfil the ambition of capacity building and national strategic vision for procurement.
He said that more people needed skills in procurement because “it is a profession that is relevant around the world, and it is important for Africa and the world to strive towards development”.
