Keywords
public administration
public procurement
public value
institutional effectiveness
governance
emerging economies
Nigeria.
Article Number
017Abstract
The increasing demand for inclusive governance, institutional effectiveness and sustainable socio-economic development has intensified scholarly and policy interest in the strategic role of public procurement within public administration. In emerging economies, affirmative procurement policies have become important instruments for leveraging public expenditure to promote indigenous participation, economic inclusion and broader developmental outcomes. Despite the growing adoption of such policies in Nigeria, empirical evidence regarding their influence on public administration effectiveness remains limited. This study investigates the effect of affirmative procurement policies on public administration in Nigeria using a quantitative research approach grounded in Public Value Theory, Institutional Theory and the Resource-Based View. A cross-sectional survey design was adopted, and data were collected from 397 procurement officers, public administrators, contractors and policy stakeholders across selected Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs). Data were analysed using Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) and Structural Equation Modelling (SEM). The findings reveal that preferential procurement policies, contract reservation schemes, local content requirements and supplier development programmes all exert significant positive effects on public administration effectiveness. Supplier development programmes emerged as the strongest predictor, while affirmative procurement policies collectively explained a substantial proportion of the variation in service delivery efficiency, transparency, accountability, institutional responsiveness and public value creation. The results demonstrate that affirmative procurement extends beyond its traditional economic function to serve as a strategic governance mechanism for strengthening institutional performance and enhancing public sector effectiveness. The study concludes that effective implementation of affirmative procurement policies can significantly improve governance outcomes while simultaneously advancing inclusive development objectives in emerging economies. The study therefore recommends stronger policy enforcement, expanded supplier development initiatives, enhanced local content implementation and improved monitoring mechanisms to maximise the administrative and developmental benefits of public procurement in Nigeria.References
Abdullahi, Y., Ibrahim, A., & Musa, M. (2023). Public procurement reforms and governance performance in Nigeria. African Journal of Governance and Development, 12(3), 145–163.
African Development Bank. (2024). African economic outlook 2024. Abidjan: African Development Bank.
Ambe, I. M., & Badenhorst-Weiss, J. A. (2022). Public procurement and supplier inclusion in South Africa: Implications for governance and economic transformation. Journal of Public Procurement, 22(3), 301–319.
Arowoshegbe, A. O., & Emmanuel, O. (2023). Public procurement practices and service delivery in Nigerian public institutions. International Journal of Public Sector Management, 36(5), 522–538.
Ayozie, D. O., & Latinwo, H. K. (2023). Procurement reforms and governance outcomes in Nigerian public institutions. African Journal of Public Administration, 15(2), 45–61.
Barney, J. B. (2021). Gaining and sustaining competitive advantage (5th ed.). Pearson.
Bovaird, T., & Loeffler, E. (2023). Public management and governance (4th ed.). Routledge.
Bryson, J. M., Crosby, B. C., & Bloomberg, L. (2022). Public value governance: Moving beyond traditional public administration and the new public management. Public Administration Review, 82(1), 123–134.
Bureau of Public Procurement. (2023). Annual procurement audit report. Abuja: BPP.
Bureau of Public Procurement. (2024). Annual procurement performance report 2023/2024. Abuja: BPP.
Commonwealth Secretariat. (2023). Public procurement and sustainable development in Commonwealth countries. London: Commonwealth Secretariat.
Edler, J., & Yeow, J. (2024). Strategic procurement and public value creation in emerging economies. Research Policy, 53(4), 104872.
European Commission. (2023). Public procurement: Guidance on strategic procurement and SME participation. Brussels: European Commission.
Flynn, A., & Davis, P. (2023). Supplier diversity, public procurement and public value creation. Journal of Public Procurement, 23(1), 1–21.
Ghazali, M., & Rahman, R. (2022). Procurement policies and public sector performance in developing countries. International Review of Administrative Sciences, 88(4), 795–813.
Hair, J. F., Black, W. C., Babin, B. J., & Anderson, R. E. (2022). Multivariate data analysis (9th ed.). Cengage Learning.
International Labour Organization. (2024). World employment and social outlook 2024. Geneva: ILO.
International Monetary Fund. (2024). Regional economic outlook: Sub-Saharan Africa. Washington, DC: IMF.
Kattel, R., & Mazzucato, M. (2023). Mission-oriented procurement and public value. Industrial and Corporate Change, 32(4), 812–828.
Loader, K. (2022). Public procurement and SME accessibility: Governance implications for public sector legitimacy. Public Money & Management, 42(5), 321–329.
McCrudden, C. (2022). Buying social justice: Equality, government procurement, and legal change (2nd ed.). Oxford University Press.
Moore, M. H. (1995). Creating public value: Strategic management in government. Harvard University Press.
National Bureau of Statistics. (2023). Nigerian gross domestic product report 2023. Abuja: NBS.
National Bureau of Statistics. (2024). Employment and labour force statistics report 2024. Abuja: NBS.
Nwogwugwu, N. C., Eze, C. J., & Nnamani, O. U. (2024). Supplier inclusion initiatives and public sector responsiveness in Nigeria. International Journal of Public Sector Management, 37(4), 567–585.
Obasan, K., & Akinyemi, A. (2022). Procurement transparency and public accountability in Nigeria. Nigerian Journal of Administrative Studies, 18(2), 71–89.
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. (2023). Government at a glance 2023. Paris: OECD Publishing.
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. (2024). Public procurement for sustainable and inclusive growth. Paris: OECD Publishing.
Osei-Kyei, R., Chan, A. P. C., & Dansoh, A. (2023). Procurement governance and institutional effectiveness in Africa. Journal of African Business, 24(3), 354–372.
Public Procurement Research Centre. (2024). Global procurement trends report. Nottingham: University of Nottingham.
Scott, W. R. (2022). Institutions and organizations: Ideas, interests, and identities (5th ed.). Sage Publications.
Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria. (2023). National survey of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in Nigeria. Abuja: SMEDAN.
Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria. (2024). MSME development report 2024. Abuja: SMEDAN.
Thai, K. V. (2023). International handbook of public procurement (2nd ed.). CRC Press.
Transparency International. (2024). Corruption perceptions index 2024. Berlin: Transparency International.
United Nations Conference on Trade and Development. (2024). Economic development in Africa report 2024. Geneva: UNCTAD.
United Nations Development Programme. (2023). Governance for sustainable development in Africa. New York: UNDP.
United Nations Development Programme. (2024). Public sector innovation and governance report. New York: UNDP.
United Nations. (2024). Sustainable development goals report 2024. New York: United Nations.
Uromi, S. M. (2022). Procurement inclusion policies and administrative effectiveness in East African public institutions. African Governance Review, 8(1), 88–104.
Uyarra, E., Flanagan, K., & Edler, J. (2024). Strategic public procurement for innovation and inclusive growth: Evidence from emerging economies. Research Policy, 53(2), 104811.
Walker, H., & Brammer, S. (2023). Sustainable public procurement and institutional performance. Public Administration, 101(2), 405–423.
World Bank. (2023). Benchmarking public procurement report. Washington, DC: World Bank.
World Bank. (2024). Public procurement and development effectiveness in emerging economies. Washington, DC: World Bank.
World Economic Forum. (2024). Future of government and public sector transformation report. Geneva: World Economic Forum.
Yusuf, M., Olayemi, A., & Adeyemi, S. (2025). Local content procurement policies and public sector effectiveness in Nigeria. African Journal of Public Affairs, 17(1), 33–52.
Zhao, X., & Tang, L. (2023). Strategic procurement and public value outcomes in emerging markets. International Public Management Journal, 26(6), 911–934.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Copyright (c) 2026 Oboh, Christopher Ikhianosime, Aliu, Fatima Jael, Osue, Amina, Igbafe, Berenice Omoareyele, Ogaganefe, Noah, Momoh, Danjuma Yakub (Author)