The Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Didi Walson-Jack has received Mr. Ben Farrell, Group Chief Executive Officer of the Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply (CIPS) UK, in Abuja.
This signals what both sides described as the beginning of a “strategic collaboration” to rebuild procurement from within.
The meeting, which took place in Abuja was facilitated by Dr. Adebowale Adedokun, Director-General of the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP), and comes at a time when Nigeria is attempting to confront long-standing inefficiencies in how it spends public money.
Since assuming the leadership of CIPS in late 2024, this was Mr. Farrell’s first visit to Nigeria, underscoring the global institute’s growing interest in emerging markets where procurement capacity is both urgently needed and critically underdeveloped. This was contained in a statement signed by Eno Olotu, Director, Information and Public Relations.
Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation, allocates billions of naira annually through procurement processes that critics say are often opaque, inconsistent, and vulnerable to abuse. Previous reform efforts have faced institutional inertia, limited enforcement, and a shortage of professionally trained procurement officers.
The Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs. Walson-Jack, said that under the country’s ongoing Federal Civil Service Strategy and Implementation Plan (FCSSIP 2021–2025), procurement is being reframed not only as a compliance mechanism but as a core driver of performance, service delivery, and public trust.
Dr. Adedokun, whose office oversees procurement across Federal Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs), emphasized that with the timing of the visit. “We are entering a new phase of implementation,” he said. “Our partnership with CIPS will help us codify global standards while responding to the unique demands of Nigeria’s public service landscape.”
“I’ve been spending time in countries that I think are really important to the future of the planet. And Nigeria is one of those countries. I wanted to come here to say, we’re going to have an office here. We’re going to work with you. We want to build capacity in Nigeria,” said Mr. Farrell.
Mr. Farrell also accepted an invitation to speak at the International Civil Service Conference scheduled for June 25–26, 2025, where procurement will be featured prominently for the first time.
As part of the collaboration, CIPS will support Nigeria in developing a national procurement strategy focused on professional certification, localized capacity-building, and ethical compliance. The institute currently operates in 180 countries and has advised governments across the Gulf, Southeast Asia, and the UK.
