By Matthew Otabe
The Federal Government has urged Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Desk Officers in federal tertiary institutions to prioritise public interest, affordability and improved learning outcomes in their engagement with private investors, stressing that education partnerships must deliver social benefits rather than focus solely on profit.
The Director Overseeing the Office of the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Education, Dr Folake David, gave the charge at the opening of the two-day Annual Public-Private Partnership Forum for PPP Desk Officers in Federal Tertiary Institutions, held from November 4 to 5, 2026, at the Public Service Institute of Nigeria (PSIN), Abuja.
The forum, organised by the Federal Ministry of Education in collaboration with the Nigerian Institute of Infrastructure and Public-Private Partnership (NIIP), was themed, “Public-Private Partnership: Bridging the Gap Between Policy, Investment and Sustainable Implementation.”
Dr David described the theme as timely, noting that although the Federal Government had established the necessary policy framework and the private sector had shown interest in investing in education, the major challenge remained translating policies and investment opportunities into viable and sustainable projects.
She explained that government alone could not provide the laboratories, students’ hostels, workshops, high-capacity centres, theatres and other critical infrastructure required by tertiary institutions, considering competing national priorities and limited public resources.
According to her, PPP arrangements offer opportunities to mobilise private capital, technical expertise, innovation and management capacity to complement government investment in the education sector.
She, however, cautioned that projects that students cannot afford should not be regarded as successful, insisting that public interest must remain central to every partnership.
The Permanent Secretary’s representative challenged PPP Desk Officers to move beyond routine administrative responsibilities and become project facilitators, investment scouts and protectors of public interest.
She urged them to identify viable investment opportunities, develop bankable proposals and engage credible investors, expressing optimism that the forum would generate a pipeline of sustainable projects aligned with the needs of the education sector.
Speaking on behalf of the Director-General of the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC), Dr Jobson Oseodion Ewalefoh, Mr Akwu Okolo disclosed that the Commission had introduced measures to improve the efficiency of PPP project reviews and certification.
He revealed that processes which previously took about 60 days could now be completed within seven days, adding that the Commission had issued 13 PPP guidelines to facilitate the implementation of presidentially approved PPP project approval thresholds.
Okolo encouraged participants to identify investment opportunities peculiar to tertiary education and develop credible project pipelines.
He noted that although social infrastructure might not always be financially self-sustaining, it remained essential to government’s responsibility to citizens.
In his welcome address, the Director, Special Duties Department of the Federal Ministry of Education, Mr Murtala Alhaji Tanko, described the forum as a strategic platform for strengthening institutional capacity and converting government policies into viable investment opportunities.
He identified inadequate infrastructure, overcrowded classrooms, insufficient teaching and learning facilities, and limited access to modern technology as some of the persistent challenges confronting tertiary institutions.
Tanko urged participants to develop practical recommendations with clearly defined priorities, responsibilities and implementation mechanisms.
He also charged them to facilitate project identification and preparation, ensure regulatory compliance, promote stakeholder engagement and monitor project implementation to guarantee measurable and sustainable improvements in educational infrastructure and services.
Similarly, the Deputy Director in the Colleges of Education Department, Mrs Vivian Oluwatobi Luke, who delivered a goodwill message on behalf of the Director, Dr Uchenna Uba, highlighted the potential of PPPs to modernise lecture halls, hostels, laboratories, workshops, ICT facilities and renewable energy infrastructure.
She emphasised the importance of proper project preparation, transparency, accountability and effective monitoring, urging participants to translate the knowledge acquired at the forum into sustainable partnerships that would strengthen teaching, learning and skills development.
Also speaking, the Director, Polytechnic Education and Allied Institutions Department, Mrs Igwe Amy, underscored the importance of private-sector collaboration in advancing Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET).
She said strong industry linkages and private-sector participation were essential to improving technical education and skills acquisition.
She therefore urged PPP Desk Officers to familiarise themselves with the relevant regulatory framework and develop transparent, mutually beneficial and bankable projects.
Reaffirming the Ministry’s commitment to sustainable partnerships, Dr David assured stakeholders that the Ministry would continue to promote transparent, accountable and value-driven PPP arrangements capable of complementing ongoing education reforms.
She said the commitment was in line with the leadership of the Minister of Education, Dr Maruf Tunji Alausa, CON, the Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Sa’id Ahmad, and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
