What is the profile of the person seeking sponsorship? Education/Skills/Experience etc?
Most PNP programs are looking for skilled workers. Because you state "a friend", Family sponsorship is not relevant.
Having a friend in some provinces will be considered as an aid to gaining PNP nomination but it's only a small part of the overall eligibility test. It will not, as far as I have been able to find out after going to each of the PNP web sites for all of the provinces, allow a friend to actually be a sponsor in the same way that a family based sponsorship does.