PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS (PPPs) AS A NEW PARADIGM FOR ORGANIZING THE DELIVERY OF PUBLIC GOODS AND SERVICES IN NIGERIA: A FOCUS ON THE MECHANISMS OF ACCOUNTABILITY.

Abstract

The paper analysed the policy of public-private partnerships (PPPs) in Nigeria focusing on the mechanisms for accountability. PPPs have featured  prominently in the renewed efforts by governments in Nigeria to achieve the goal of providing public goods and services.The challenge now is to find a regulatory regime to monitor and ensure that the utilization  of PPPs by the different levels of government achieves the anticipated goals. Compared to the private sector and the public sector fields, accountability in the dynamic governance of PPPs are quite different and it is key to understanding  the performance and acceptability of PPPs by the public. Being an exploratory study, data were sourced from secondary sources and desk analyses of the qualitative data were done. It concludes among other things that PPPs are preferable to outright privatization because the former enables inter-generational equity as well as guarantees the state’s protection of the citizens as part of its social contract. It recommends joint ventures and strategic open partnering for its accountability logic that is similar to public sector accountability mechanisms.