‘Certified Project Managers Can Fix Nigeria’s Infrastructure Challenges’

The managing director,Sub Saharan Africa, PMI, George Asamani, believes certified project managers can fix Nigeria’s infrastructure challenges.

This is even as he said, Nigeria has a large infrastructure deficit, with total infrastructure stock amounting to 30 per cent of the Gross Domestic Product(GDP), which is short of the 70 per cent international benchmark set by the World Bank.

He listed the challenges to include; insufficient road networks linking commercial centres across the country and an inadequate stock of affordable housing even as the World Bank estimates that the government will need to invest as much as $3 trillion to overcome the infrastructure deficit.

Government, he said, has begun to take steps towards reducing the infrastructure deficit through increased spending as part of a 30-year infrastructure plan (National Integrated Infrastructure Master Plan), which aims to bring Nigeria’s infrastructure stock to 70 per cent of the GDP by 2043.

According to him, “projects are at the core of development. Dubai, a standout performer in the United Arab Emirates, is a good example of how successful project identification, preparation, and implementation can support economic growth, create jobs and attract foreign investment.

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“Certified project managers can help improve the quality and efficiency of infrastructure projects in Nigeria. They can help to ensure that projects are completed on time, on budget, and to the required standards.”

Asamani pointed out that the effective development of infrastructure projects involves synergy between multiple sectors and stakeholders and effective oversight and coordination of various aspects and stages of projects.

“A shortage of skilled project professionals means poor planning and implementation, resulting in inefficient stakeholder coordination and integration. As a consequence, the need for certified project managers becomes even more expedient if the country is to close the yawning infrastructure gap with the rest of the world,” he noted.

To improve skills and meet complex demands in today’s evolving built environment, PMI created the Construction Professional in Built Environment Projects (PMI-CP), a globally recognised certification for project managers involved in infrastructure and construction management.

The PMI-CP certification is designed for industry professionals looking to sharpen or develop skills for existing or future opportunities in the built environment. The certification covers the domains of Project Communication, Scope and Change Order Management, Interface Management, Performance and Materials Management, Contract and Risk Management, Technology and Innovation, and Execution Planning.

“Fundamentally, the PMI-CP certification instills a culture of ensuring project adherence to standards and requirements to improve the dependability and durability of infrastructure assets, which is imperative, especially in the Nigerian context, with multi-billion-dollar projects on the anvil. As the construction industry evolves, the need for qualified professionals to manage complex construction projects will become more urgent,” Asamani added.

As the new administration in Nigeria gears to hasten infrastructure development such as roads, railways, seaports, and power plants, he advised them to also consider investing in training more project managers. This, he stressed, will help ensure the government has the skills and expertise it needs to deliver the infrastructure projects and effectively protect its investments.