Kaduna, under the leadership of Governor Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai, was selected by UN Women as one of the two pilot states to implement the Affirmative Procurement project. The Affirmative Procurement project is a three-year programme that focuses on promoting the inclusion and empowerment of women-owned/led businesses to access opportunities in public procurement.
Kaduna was selected because of its gender-inclusive government; the state currently has 53% female commissioners and boasts of the first female deputy governor in northern Nigeria.
Themed, “Women’s Empowerment through Affirmative Procurement Reform in Nigeria,” the Minister of Women Affairs, Paullen Tallen said the project is aimed at inculcating gender-responsive procurement processes as a panacea for advancing economic empowerment to women entrepreneurs.
The Affirmative Procurement project includes policy reforms, institutional strengthening of public sector institutions to adopt and implement affirmative procurement provisions; advocacy to support private sector adoption of gender-responsive supply chain practices, and capacity strengthening of women owned businesses to access procurement opportunities.
The project was officially launched in Kaduna State on the 28th of October 2022, by the Deputy Governor, Her Excellency Haj. Hadiza Sabuwa Balarabe at the Umaru Musa Yar’adua International Conference Centre Kaduna.
Speaking on the project, the Director General, KADPPA, Engr. Sanusi Yero (FNSE) cited research findings that women-led businesses were not benefitting in public procurement opportunities. The DG then pledged the Authority’s commitment to ensuring the achievement of the project’s objectives.
