ICRC creates PPP investment guide for MDAs

The Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC) has announced that it is compiling a comprehensive investment catalogue to inform Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) about potential Public-Private Partnership (PPP) opportunities across various sectors.

The Director-General of the Commission, Dr. Jobson Oseodion Ewalefoh, disclosed this during a courtesy and monitoring visit to the Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Dayo Mobereola, at NIMASA’s headquarters in Lagos.

Ewalefoh stated that the Commission would no longer wait for MDAs or private investors to propose PPP projects, pointing out that numerous untapped opportunities exist for infrastructure development through PPP across various sectors.

He explained that the Commission is actively identifying such opportunities, which will be catalogued and issued as PPP investment advice to relevant MDAs.

“We are developing a catalogue of potential PPP projects that we will present to agencies as PPP advice, saying: ‘Look, this opportunity exists here; why don’t you tap into it? It has been done in other countries.’

“Part of our mandate is to build the PPP market. It’s not just about regulating and certifying but ensuring that MDAs know the available opportunities. There are many areas to explore.

“The potential for NIMASA is significant, and these opportunities have not been fully utilised. We need to collaborate on these potential projects. This aligns with the President’s directive that I should harness private sector funds to develop infrastructure.

“The only way to achieve this is by identifying areas where private sector funding is needed to build infrastructure, ensuring Nigerians enjoy the promise of renewed hope.

“We have already identified several opportunities within NIMASA and the maritime sector, which is why we are here today,” he said.

Ewalefoh acknowledged that NIMASA is already engaged in key PPP arrangements to build, operate, and/or maintain infrastructure. However, he urged the agency’s leadership to expand the scope of its PPP engagements.

He further explained that the Commission’s visit was also intended to evaluate the performance of NIMASA’s PPP projects and assess the agency’s compliance with PPP contracts, along with the compliance of concessionaires.

In response, the Director-General of NIMASA, Dr. Dayo Mobereola, commended his counterpart at the ICRC for the new policy direction, which he said would accelerate the PPP procurement process.

Mobereola expressed concern about the lengthy process for certifying and approving PPPs, welcoming the streamlining of ICRC’s procedures as a positive development.

He assured the ICRC DG of NIMASA’s full cooperation to enhance PPP-driven infrastructure development in the maritime safety sector.

The ICRC and NIMASA leadership also discussed specific challenges affecting ongoing PPP engagements, with Dr. Ewalefoh pledging to intervene and coordinate with relevant government stakeholders.

Following the discussions, the ICRC and NIMASA teams conducted a joint monitoring visit to the concessionaires of the Offshore Waste Reception Facilities—African Circle and OXP Marine.

The monitoring exercise aimed to assess the level of compliance with the PPP contract terms and identify any challenges.

Both teams agreed to hold a stakeholder engagement session to address the challenges identified during the monitoring visit.