Abuja: President Bola Tinubu has empowered the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC) to implement a more efficient and better streamlined Public-Private Partnership (PPP) project delivery process. Dr. Jobson Ewalefoh, Director-General of ICRC, stated this in a statement by Ifeanyi Nwoko, Acting Head, Media and Publicity, ICRC.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, the new process will involve approving PPP thresholds for Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs), which will help accelerate Nigeria’s infrastructure revolution. Until now, all PPP projects, regardless of size, were subject to Federal Executive Council (FEC) approval, resulting in extended processes and limiting the participation of MDAs with small and mid-scale projects.
Ewalefoh explained that the new policy decentralizes the approval process. It allows MDAs to approve projects below specified thresholds under the ICRC guideline, thereby supporting all scales of projects and encouraging broader private sector investment in PPPs. He emphasized that the President had declared his administration was strengthening the ICRC as the ‘engine room of Nigeria’s infrastructure revolution’ at the recently concluded Nigeria PPP Summit.
Under the new directive, PPP projects valued below N10 billion for parastatals/agencies and N20 billion for ministries will now be approved by respective Project Approval Boards (PABs). These boards will be constituted under ICRC guidelines and regulations. Only projects exceeding these thresholds or those involving multiple ministries and requiring inter-agency coordination will require FEC approval. Importantly, all such projects must be entirely privately funded, with no government guarantees or financial commitments from the treasury.
Ewalefoh noted that every PPP project must be submitted to the ICRC for review and certification. The ICRC must issue certificates of compliance before any PPP project can be approved by the PAB and other approving bodies. This framework shifts from a one-size-fits-all approach to a more dynamic and scale-sensitive model, enabling low-value but high-impact projects.
The approval is seen as a game-changer, particularly for sectors like health, education, agriculture, and housing. Private sector-led investments in projects such as rural diagnostic medical centers, the construction of classroom blocks, student hostels, and affordable housing schemes are expected to benefit from the reduced bureaucratic requirements under the new process.
Ewalefoh emphasized that the new framework aligns with Tinubu’s broader public procurement reforms, ensuring harmony across the government’s financial and investment systems. By decentralizing approvals, the government is supporting and unlocking investment opportunities through improved capital inflows, job creation, and faster project delivery, which is essential in the current economic climate.
He assured that the ICRC would continue to promote, guide, facilitate, and regulate the PPP ecosystem in the country while collaborating with other agencies in the infrastructure ecosystem. These agencies include the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP), the Ministry of Finance Incorporated (MOFI), and the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE).
The Director-General urged MDAs as project owners and grantors to take advantage of the approved threshold and the new guidelines that will be issued by the commission. MDAs are encouraged to embrace the utilization of PPPs for the delivery of critical infrastructure in delivering on the Renewed Hope Agenda of Mr. President.
