President Bola Tinubu has approved a transformative policy that decentralizes the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) approval process, granting Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) greater autonomy to execute infrastructure projects under newly established financial thresholds.
Previously, all PPP initiatives—regardless of size—required Federal Executive Council (FEC) approval, often leading to bureaucratic delays and reduced participation by MDAs handling small to mid-scale projects. Under the new framework, announced at the Nigeria PPP Summit 2025, MDAs can now approve PPP projects below ₦10 billion for Parastatals/Agencies and ₦20 billion for Ministries through dedicated Project Approval Boards (PABs), in line with Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC) guidelines.
President Tinubu reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to making the ICRC the “engine room of Nigeria’s infrastructure revolution,” emphasizing that robust private sector participation in PPPs will drive national development.
Director General of the ICRC, Dr. Jobson Oseodion Ewalefoh, hailed the presidential approval as a “game-changer,” noting that the decentralised process will unlock investments in sectors such as health, education, agriculture, and housing. Projects like rural diagnostic centres, school facilities, student accommodations, and affordable housing schemes are expected to benefit significantly from reduced bureaucratic bottlenecks.
The updated policy mandates that all PPP proposals must be entirely privately funded, without financial commitments from the federal treasury. Every project must also undergo ICRC review and receive a compliance certificate before being approved by PABs or other relevant bodies.
Ewalefoh highlighted that this policy shift supports President Tinubu’s broader public procurement reforms, enhancing inter-agency alignment and boosting investor confidence. “Decentralising approvals means improved capital inflows, faster infrastructure delivery, and job creation—critical in Nigeria’s current economic environment,” he said.
The ICRC will continue to coordinate with strategic institutions like the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP), Ministry of Finance Incorporated (MOFI), and the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) to strengthen Nigeria’s PPP ecosystem.
MDAs are encouraged to leverage the new thresholds and guidelines to deliver vital infrastructure under the Renewed Hope Agenda.
