Former Registrar, Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN), Dr Felix Atume, has urged the Federal Government to prioritise the establishment of a robust and transparent legal and regulatory environment to support PPP projects.

Atume spoke, yesterday, during the Nigerian Academy of Engineering (NAEng) 2025 yearly lecture entitled: “Bridging infrastructure gap in Nigeria: The role of private sector,” in Lagos.

He said the government should strengthen legal and regulatory frameworks, including revising the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC) Act and ensuring that it aligns with international best practices for PPP projects.

He stressed the need for clear regulations on dispute resolution, contract enforcement, and risk-sharing, which must be defined to attract private sector investment and ensure long-term project sustainability.

Atume said that Nigeria and many other African countries had not been able to sustain economic growth because of poor infrastructure, stressing that poor infrastructure and inadequate infrastructure services are among the major factors that hinder the continent’s development.

He emphasised that the Public Private Partnership is a viable concept that can close the infrastructure deficit in Nigeria.

However, he said that in involving the private sector, basic questions must be answered, such as whether the project is included in a pipeline of nationally sanctioned strategic infrastructure projects.

According to him, inadequate technical expertise to design, evaluate, and manage PPP contracts also leads to significant delays, increased transaction costs, and reduced investors’ interest.

In a goodwill message, Governor of Kaduna State, Uba Sani, represented by the Commissioner for Education, Prof. Abubakar Sambo, urged the NAEng to remain committed towards promoting excellence and advancement of engineering science, practice, and technology and related disciplines to bridge the huge infrastructure gap in the country.

Also, while addressing the forum, President of NAEng, Prof. Rahamon Bello, commended the Federal Government for its bold infrastructure initiatives and the recent Local Content Policy of the government.

He said for the infrastructural development to be sustainable, indigenous ownership and reliability are essential and therefore called on the President for deliberate policy to support the development of indigenous engineering enterprises and groups that can make this sustainable.

He also assured that the Nigerian Academy of Engineering will continue to be a think tank, advancing and promoting Science, Engineering, Technology and Innovation in Nigeria.