AN EMPIRICAL EXAMINATION OF THE ROLE OF PROJECT MANAGEMENT PROCESS GROUPS IN IMPROVING SUSTAINABLE ENERGY POLICY IMPLEMENTATION IN NIGERIA

<p><strong><em>Purpose:</em></strong> <em>This study examines the role of Project Management Process Groups (initiating, planning, executing, monitoring, and closing) in improving sustainable energy policy implementation in Nigeria, addressing the persistent implementation deficit despite comprehensive frameworks.</em></p> <p><strong><em>Design/methodology/approach:</em></strong> <em>Utilizing a quantitative descriptive survey design, data were collected from 290 stratified stakeholders, including government officials, project managers, and community representatives via a validated questionnaire (reliability coefficient = 0.84). Analysis was conducted using descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, correlation, and regression analysis.</em></p> <p><strong><em>Findings:</em></strong> <em>The findings reveal that 56.5% of respondents perceive policy implementation as limited, driven by poor infrastructure (85.9%) and lack of coordination (82.9%). Project management processes are applied unevenly, particularly during monitoring and closure stages; however, correlation results demonstrate strong, positive, and significant relationships between systematic process application and implementation effectiveness (r = 0.612 - 0.745, p &lt; 0.05).</em></p> <p><strong><em>Research limitations/implications:</em></strong> <em>A key limitation is the reliance on self-reported survey data within a single national context, which may introduce subjectivity. The implication is that linking structured lifecycles to public infrastructure execution proves Nigeria's energy crisis is fundamentally an execution architecture failure rather than a policy deficit.</em></p> <p><strong><em>Practical implications:</em></strong> <em>Nigerian energy institutions must transition from mere policy formulation to structured lifecycle governance. It is recommended that they institutionalise monitoring frameworks, strengthen inter-agency coordination, and build targeted technical capacity to improve policy performance.</em></p> <p><strong><em>Originality/value:</em></strong> <em>This study provides rare empirical evidence linking structured project management lifecycles directly to public infrastructure policy execution in a developing economy.</em></p>