Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja

The Chevening Alumni Association of Nigeria (CAAN) and a civil society organisation, DO Take Action, have announced a collaboration to deliver capacity-building training for 600 women-owned/led businesses in Kano and Rivers states in procurement.

The organisations in a statement, stated that the initiative, Scaling Women’s Economic Empowerment through Affirmative Procurement (SWEEAP) reform programme  will empower the beneficiaries with the skills, tools, and networks needed to access and thrive in Nigeria’s public procurement ecosystem.

The initiative is supported under the Chevening Alumni Programme Fund (CAPF), a UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) initiative that empowers Chevening Alumni to deliver high-impact projects that drive positive change in their home countries, the statement signed by the President of CAAN, Kester Osahenye and Chief Executive, DO Take Action, Precious Chinonso stated.

Chevening is a UK government-funded international programme that offers fully funded scholarships and fellowships for talented individuals to pursue one-year master’s degrees and research programmes respectively in the UK.

In Nigeria, the groups said the call for gender-responsive procurement (GRP) policies was gaining momentum, driven by the need to empower women entrepreneurs to compete equitably in the procurement sector.

Through the SWEEAP project, the statement noted that 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.

“Over the past two years, DO Take Action has partnered with global institutions to advance GRP reforms across Nigeria. In partnership with UN Women, DO Take Action implemented the Women Economic Empowerment through Affirmative Procurement (WEEAP) project in West and Central Africa, building the capacity of 1930 women entrepreneurs in Nigeria, Senegal, Côte d’Ivoire, and Mali.

“With support from the World Bank, it executed the Scaling Women Economic Empowerment through Affirmative Procurement (SWEEP) project, which trained over 765 women entrepreneurs in Abuja and Kaduna, preparing them to bid for and win public contracts.

“Now, DO Take Action in collaboration with the Chevening Alumni Association of Nigeria (CAAN) is deepening and scaling this impact through a new initiative: the SWEEAP project,” the organisers stressed.

Speaking at the launch, Chinonso, CEO of DO Take Action and Chevening Alumna, emphasised the urgency of the initiative, highlighting the need to break barriers that have kept women at the margins of public procurement.

“Scaling Women Economic Empowerment through Affirmative Procurement is about breaking barriers that have kept women at the margins of public procurement for too long. We’re leveraging capacity-building, advocacy, and stakeholder engagement to ensure women are not just included but prioritised in procurement systems,” Chinonso noted.

On his part, Osahenye, President of CAAN), echoed the same sentiment, highlighting the broader vision behind the project.

“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,” Osahenye said.

Also speaking on the significance of the project, Programme Officer at Chevening Awards, Oluwafunmilayo Ladepo, added: “I’m especially pleased with the work of CAAN, whose efforts, through the support of the British High Commission, continue to strengthen UK-Nigeria collaboration.

“The SWEEAP project exemplifies how strategic alumni-led initiatives can contribute meaningfully to advancing the development agenda in Nigeria.”

According to the statement, applications are now open to women-owned and women-led businesses in Kano and Rivers states that are duly registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC)  for the first cohort of the SWEEAP programme.

While the programme’s start date is September 1, 2025, it is expected to last one month, with mode of learning being virtual.

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