Stakeholders have called for a minimum of 35 per cent participation of women in public procurement and policy reforms that support gender-responsive procurement in Rivers State.
The call was made at the Scaling Women’s Economic Empowerment through Affirmative Procurement (SWEEAP) programme, themed “Strengthening Public and Private Sector Collaboration for Gender-Responsive Procurement in Rivers State,” organised by Do Take Action in collaboration with the Chevening Alumni Programme Fund, with support from the British High Commission. The event was held in Port Harcourt.
Speaking at the forum, Senior Political Adviser, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), British High Commission, Fortune Alfred, said strengthening the capacity of women entrepreneurs to access public and private sector procurement opportunities is critical to inclusive economic growth.
He noted that although women-owned businesses make significant contributions to the Rivers State and Nigerian economy, they remain grossly underrepresented in procurement contracts.
Alfred explained that SWEEAP, a Chevening-supported initiative, is designed to promote gender-inclusive reforms and strengthen government institutions in gender-responsive budgeting and procurement.
According to him, the United Kingdom, through the FCDO’s Chevening Alumni Programme Fund, is proud to support SWEEAP because it aligns with shared values of fairness, opportunity and inclusive growth.
He disclosed that 691 beneficiaries have so far been trained across Kano and Rivers states, with over 500 women entrepreneurs actively pursuing bids and engaging procurement-related ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) to advocate the effective implementation of Gender-Responsive Procurement (GRP) policies.
Alfred said the forum reaffirmed Rivers State’s commitment to GRP by fostering alignment among policymakers, regulators, development partners and the private sector to expand opportunities for women-owned and women-led businesses. He added that experiences from states such as Lagos and Kaduna, which have adopted gender-responsive procurement policies, show that Rivers State is well positioned to join the reform momentum.
Delivering her keynote address on “The State of Women-Led/Owned Businesses and Their Participation in Public Procurement,” the Director-General of the Rivers State Bureau of Public Procurement, Dr. Ine Briggs, described women’s participation in public procurement as very low despite their readiness and capacity to contribute.
Dr. Briggs said the bureau is committed to reforms that will improve women’s access to procurement opportunities, noting that existing provisions such as domestic preference under Section 31 of the procurement law can be leveraged to enhance women’s participation. While responding to the proposed 35 per cent quota, she assured stakeholders of the bureau’s willingness to work with partners to strengthen regulations and build women’s capacity to compete effectively.
She emphasised that women are hardworking and capable, but require empowerment through training, capacity building and institutional support to succeed in the procurement space.
Earlier, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of Do Take Action, Precious Chinonso-Obi, said the SWEEAP initiative aims to create a society where women across different sectors can bid for and win procurement opportunities in both the public and private sectors.
She explained that research shows women contribute over 30 per cent to Nigeria’s GDP, yet account for just about one per cent of participation in procurement globally.
According to her, affirmative procurement addresses the root causes of economic exclusion by equipping women with the skills, knowledge and documentation required to compete for contracts, while also advocating policy reforms and quota systems for women-owned and women-led businesses.
Chinonso-Obi noted that successes recorded in Lagos and Kaduna states demonstrate that gender-responsive affirmative procurement is achievable, adding that Do Take Action has developed a policy brief to guide Rivers State in adopting similar reforms.
The forum also featured the formal graduation and recognition of SWEEAP beneficiaries, with stakeholders reaffirming their commitment to advancing gender-responsive procurement as a tool for economic growth, job creation and inclusive development in Rivers State.
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