- As MDAs get approval for N20bn threshold subject to guidelines’ compliance, certification
BY COBHAM NSA – Intent on accelerating Nigeria’s infrastructure revolution in line with his Renewed Hope agenda, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has empowered the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC) for effective service delivery under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) engagement.
Consequently, the President has approved new PPP thresholds for Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) to implement a more efficient and better streamlined project delivery processes.
By this new policy, the authorisation process has been decentralised to allow MDAs approve projects below specified thresholds under ICRC guidelines, thereby supporting all scale of projects and encouraging broader private sector investment in PPPs.
Hitherto, all PPP projects, irrespective of size, were subjected to Federal Executive Council (FEC) approval, resulting in extended processes and limiting the participation of MDAs with small and mid-scale projects.
Speaking on this fresh presidential approval, Director General of the ICRC, Dr Jobson Oseodion Ewalefoh, said: “Under the new directive, PPP projects valued below ₦10 billion for Parastatals/Agencies and ₦20 billion for Ministries will now be approved by respective Project Approval Boards (PABs) that 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.”
The latest development comes on the heels of President Tinubu’s declaration at the just-concluded Nigeria PPP Summit 2025 that his administration was strengthening the ICRC as the “engine room of Nigeria’s infrastructure revolution”.
On that occasion, the President had also noted that PPPs would be pivotal in driving transformative development across the country.
A statement signed by Ifeanyi Nwoko, ICRC’s Acting Head, Media and Publicity quoted Dr Ewalefoh, as saying; “Importantly, all such projects must be entirely privately funded, with no government guarantees or financial commitments from the treasury.”
“Notwithstanding the new thresholds, every PPP project must be submitted to the ICRC for review and certification”, the statement said, adding that “The ICRC must issue certificates of compliance before any PPP project can be approved by the PAB and other approving bodies.”
Dr Ewalefoh further explained that this framework marks a major shift from the previously adopted one-size-fits-all approach, to a more dynamic and scale-sensitive model that will unlock low-value but high-impact projects.
According to him; “This approval is a game-changer, especially for sectors like health, education, agriculture, and housing. We expect to see private sector- led investments in projects like rural diagnostic medical centers, construction of classroom blocks, student hostel and delivery of affordable housing schemes across the country—with less bureaucratic requirements under the new adopted process.”
He said the new framework aligns with President 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 investments opportunities through improved capital inflows, job creation, and faster project delivery, exactly what we need in this current economic climate”, Dr Ewalefoh said.
For him, the ICRC will continue to promote, guide, facilitate and regulate the PPP ecosystem in the country, while also partnering with other agencies in the infrastructure ecosystem, including the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP), Ministry of Finance Incorporated (MOFI), Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) among others.
The ICRC Chief Executive, who tasked MDAs on utilizing PPPs to deliver critical infrastructure in line with Mr President’s ‘Renewed Hope Agenda’, also said as project owners and grantors, the MDAs must fully embrace the approved threshold and new guidelines that will soon be issued by the Commission.
