The Kogi State Ministry of Education, through the Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment (AGILE), has opened bids for the construction of 28 combined junior and senior secondary schools across the 21 local government areas of the state.
The bid opening, held on Wednesday at the Kogi State AGILE Project Office in Lokoja, is part of the World Bank-supported intervention aimed at expanding learning opportunities and providing safer and more conducive learning environments for adolescent girls.
In his remarks, the Kogi State Commissioner for Education, Wemi Jones, described the intervention as historic, saying the partnership with the World Bank would strengthen education infrastructure and complement the state government’s efforts to improve access to quality education.
He disclosed that Kogi’s AGILE financing envelope was in the region of $48 million to $50 million, covering about seven to eight components, with school construction expected to account for more than half of the funding.
Jones identified school renovation, digital literacy and second-chance education among other components of the intervention, stressing that the provision of conducive learning spaces was essential to sustaining education.
He said successful contractors must adhere strictly to approved specifications, noting that the state has its own prototype for secondary school construction and that the government would strengthen oversight to ensure compliance.
Also speaking, the State Project Coordinator, Ahmed Tijjani Oricha, said the construction falls under Component 1.1 of the AGILE programme and has been divided into seven lots, with more than 100 bidders expressing interest in the contracts.
Oricha said the procurement process would be conducted transparently and in accordance with World Bank requirements, stressing that the public opening was not the final stage of the process, as submitted documents would undergo evaluation and due diligence before successful bidders are determined.
He added that the bids-opening session was recorded and its minutes would form part of the procurement documentation, while prospective bidders had been given the opportunity to inspect the project sites and familiarise themselves with their locations and conditions.
The Project Coordinator said the projects are expected to be completed within 12 to 14 months, while urging parents, traditional rulers and other stakeholders to support the enrolment and retention of adolescent girls in school.
The Commissioner also urged unsuccessful bidders to remain committed to the procurement process, noting that failure to secure a contract in the current exercise should not discourage participation in future opportunities.
The intervention is part of the proposed remodeling and construction of 728 schools and it is expected to expand access to secondary education across the state while improving the learning environment for students, particularly adolescent girls targeted by the AGILE programme.
