Private sector participation in Nigeria higher education infrastructure development

Public private partnership (PPP) procurement route was introduced with the aim of increasing the capacity and quality of public services across the globe, whilst the PPP sector is now established and mature in many countries, realising the objectives of PPP has eluded many countries in Sub-Saharan Africa including Nigeria where the level of private sector participation in infrastructure provision remains low particularly in the Higher Education Infrastructure (HEI) sector. This study aims at exploring reasons for low participation, by evaluating the challenges associated with PPP procurement system in Nigeria HEI sector. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with stakeholders, the gathered data was analysed using thematic framework analysis and the result indicate that the private sector is reluctant to engage in partnerships with the public sector owing to stakeholders' challenges, integrity issues, as well as governance challenges. The study concludes that increased transparency and accountability in the tendering procedures will enhance the potentials of PPP in the HEI sector, and recommends that governance systems and procedures that minimise corruption and mistrust should be put in place.