Chevening alumni, civic group to train 600 women entrepreneurs in procurement

The Chevening Alumni Association of Nigeria (CAAN), in partnership with DO Take Action, has launched a capacity-building initiative aimed at empowering 600 women-led and women-owned businesses (WOLBs) in Kano and Rivers states to participate more competitively in Nigeria’s public procurement system.

The programme, ‘Scaling Women’s Economic Empowerment through Affirmative Procurement (SWEEAP),’  is supported by the Chevening Alumni Programme Fund (CAPF), an initiative of the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).

According to a statement on Thursday, the training, which is set to commence on September 1, requires eligible applicants to be registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC).

Interested women entrepreneurs in Kano and Rivers states can apply at dotakeaction.org/sweeap.

“Through the SWEEAP project, CAPF is helping scale gender-responsive procurement in Nigeria, creating opportunities for women entrepreneurs to access public contracts and contribute meaningfully to national development. Leading this initiative is DO Take Action, a civic organisation on a mission to inspire, empower and mobilise a critical mass of 1billion+ people taking action for sustainable development,” the statement reads.

Speaking at the launch, Precious Chinonso, chief executive officer (CEO) of DO Take Action and a Chevening alumna, said the initiative seeks to break long-standing barriers for women in procurement.

“We’re leveraging capacity-building, advocacy, and stakeholder engagement to ensure women are not just included but prioritised in procurement systems,” Chinonso said.

On her part, Kester Osahenye, CAAN president, noted that beyond direct support for 600 businesses, the initiative also aims to influence state-level policies toward adopting gender-responsive procurement (GRP) frameworks.

“This initiative goes beyond training. It’s about inspiring the behavioural change needed for women to see themselves as capable, competitive players in procurement. The project will directly benefit 600 women-led businesses through knowledge, tools, and network. We also aim to influence procurement policies at the state level, making gender-responsive procurement a national policy priority,” she said.

Oluwafunmilayo Ladepo, programme officer at Chevening Awards, described SWEEAP as a demonstration of the impact of strategic alumni-led development efforts.