Project Overview

In July 2021, Cybiant was appointed by the World Bank to deliver a comprehensive Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Capacity Building Program for the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). The initiative aimed to strengthen PPP capabilities across all 15 ECOWAS member nations: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo.

Founded in 1975 through the Treaty of Lagos, ECOWAS is a cornerstone of regional cooperation and integration in West Africa. It promotes economic development, collective self-sufficiency, and free movement of people, goods, and services across its member states. As a major pillar of the African Economic Community, ECOWAS supports initiatives that improve public infrastructure, governance, and service delivery across the region.

The Challenge

Across West Africa, Public-Private Partnerships were being held back by the same three gaps: limited technical knowledge inside government teams, inconsistent regulatory frameworks, and project preparation practices that varied widely from one member state to the next. Nigeria and Ghana had built up real PPP pipelines; others, like Burkina Faso, were only beginning to.

The COVID-19 pandemic made the stakes higher. With public budgets under pressure, ECOWAS governments needed a faster, more reliable way to bring in private capital and expertise for infrastructure and public services — but only if officials across the region had the skills to structure, procure, and manage those partnerships correctly.

The World Bank engaged Cybiant to close that gap: not with a one-off workshop, but with a certified, region-wide capacity building program grounded in international best practice.

Why Cybiant

Cybiant was selected as an accredited training provider for the APMG PPP Certification Program, with a track record in public sector transformation across multiple regions. The brief called for a program that could:

• Reach 15 countries and multiple languages without requiring travel
• Align to the PPP Guide for Emerging Markets and international certification standards
• Take delegates from foundational knowledge through to execution-level competency
• Hold up to World Bank scrutiny on delivery, rigor, and outcomes

This is the same model Cybiant applies across every practice area: design the curriculum, build the delivery infrastructure, run the program, and certify the outcome — end to end, not handed off in pieces.

Context and Need for PPP Capacity Building

The COVID-19 pandemic and resulting economic slowdown underscored the urgent need for sustainable investment and robust public-private cooperation. While Nigeria and Ghana have led PPP activity in Africa, other ECOWAS nations such as Burkina Faso are actively developing PPP pipelines. Recognizing the potential of a regional approach, the World Bank engaged Cybiant to equip government officials with practical skills and international best practices in PPPs.

The program was designed to address key challenges: limited technical knowledge, regulatory gaps, and inconsistent project preparation practices. By building regional expertise and facilitating peer learning, the initiative aimed to foster more effective, transparent, and successful PPP projects.

The Approach

Over a three-month period, Cybiant delivered a virtual training curriculum covering all three APMG certification levels:

• Public-Private Partnerships Foundation
• Public-Private Partnerships Preparation
• Public-Private Partnerships Execution

Cybiant’s trainers layered in real-world case studies from other developing economies so delegates could see the frameworks applied, not just described. Topics included:

• Introduction to PPPs and key concepts
• Developing PPP frameworks
• Project identification and screening
• Project appraisal and structuring
• Tender design and procurement
• Contract management and risk allocation
• Project delivery, operations, and hand-back

To enhance learning, Cybiant’s trainers supplemented the course with real-world case studies and experiences from other developing economies, offering practical insights on the application of PPP methodologies.

Learning Experience and Delivery

Despite geographical dispersion and linguistic diversity, the program successfully brought together 50 delegates from 15 ECOWAS member states. The training was delivered in a blended format, with two 2-hour live sessions each week and self-paced learning components hosted on the CybiantLMS platform.

Chris Appiah, Head of Maritime Transport & Corridors at the ECOWAS Commission, highlighted the importance of the virtual infrastructure:

“We had 50 delegates from 15 member states, and for many, English was not their first language. Coordinating participation was a challenge, but the CybiantLMS provided an excellent solution. Delegates could learn at their own pace or re-watch sessions as needed. Without Cybiant, organizing this training would have been extremely difficult. They did an excellent job.” –

Chris Appiah, Head of Maritime Transport & Corridors at the ECOWAS Commission

Each certification level concluded with a preparation week, followed by an official online examination invigilated by Cybiant.

Participant Feedback

The program received positive feedback from senior officials and participants. Irene Addo-Dankwah, Head of the PPP Unit at Ghana’s Ministry of Finance, shared:

“I appreciated every aspect of the course. This was my second time participating in PPP training since joining the Unit. The materials were clear and well-explained. I especially enjoyed Module 5 – Structuring PPP Projects. I’m grateful to Jan and the team for their support throughout.”

Irene Addo-Dankwah, Head of the PPP Unit at Ghana’s Ministry of Finance

Results

Cybiant delivered the program in full compliance with the World Bank’s Terms of Reference and the ECOWAS Commission’s strategic objectives. Key outcomes included:

• 50 delegates from 15 countries certified at Foundation Level
• 28 delegates from 12 countries certified at Preparation Level
• 23 delegates from 13 countries certified at Execution Level

Chris Appiah concluded:

“Cybiant could not have done a better job. Their professionalism and focus on planning were clear throughout. They guided us expertly through this complex, high-impact program.”

Chris Appiah, ECOWAS Commission

Contact

Ready to build PPP capability across your organization or region? Or, for more information about the PPP Capacity Building Program and ways to explore how Cybiant can support your public sector transformation initiatives, please contact us at: info@cybiant.com