Momentum is building around Nigeria’s forthcoming National Affirmative Procurement Policy following the Key Stakeholders’ Consultative Forum – Gender on the Tender for Women’s Economic Empowerment held on 26 February 2026 at NECA House, Ikeja, Lagos.
Convened by the Inter-Bau Foundation for Women and Youths with support from the German and Swiss Governments, the high-level forum brought together senior government officials, development partners, financial institutions, private sector leaders and civil society actors to align on structured implementation of inclusive procurement.
Delivering the keynote address, the Director-General of the Bureau of Public Procurement, Dr. Adebowale Adedokun, described the reform as a systemic shift that will mainstream women, persons with disabilities, veterans and other priority groups into public contracting.
He emphasised that the new framework would eliminate informal barriers to access through a fully digital process.
“There will be no need to know someone high up to access opportunity. The entire process will be carried out online, from the comfort of one’s home.”
He added that the policy is no longer speculative and is expected to be introduced within the year.
Also speaking, the Honourable Minister of Women Affairs, Hajiya Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, described affirmative procurement as a recognised driver of economic growth and national development.
“When women-owned businesses are given fair opportunity to compete, the entire economy benefits,” she said.
The forum highlighted that nearly fifteen per cent of Nigerians are persons living with disabilities, reinforcing the urgency of deliberate inclusion if procurement reform is to be genuinely national in scope.
In her opening address, the Chief Executive Officer of Inter-Bau Foundation, Doris Okechukwu Mbadiwe, framed the reform as a structural correction designed to expand economic participation.
“This is not about preferential treatment. It is about fairness, structure and economic functionality,” she stated.
Camelia Camenzind, Consul General of Switzerland, expressed her government’s solidarity with the initiative. She described public procurement as one of the most powerful economic tools available to governments and commended Inter-Bau Foundation for advancing timely advocacy, particularly as the global community approaches International Women’s Day in March.
Representing the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, Helen Igboka, Programme Component Manager, Skills Development for Youth Employment (SKYE II), noted that procurement institutions hold economic influence beyond administrative oversight and can stimulate enterprise growth when designed with inclusion at their core.
Also delivering a goodwill message, Dr. Karin Jansen, First Secretary and Head of Development Cooperation at the German Embassy, emphasised the importance of sustained collaboration in advancing gender equality, skills development and inclusive economic systems in Nigeria.
Panel sessions examined procurement readiness for women-owned enterprises, access to finance, job creation across infrastructure value chains and accountability mechanisms for measurable inclusion. The panel featured leading voices from institutions such as the Bank of Industry, SMEDAN, the Lagos State Public Procurement Agency, Fidelity Bank, NECA, Alitheia Capital and Project Enable Africa, who outlined practical pathways for translating the policy into enterprise participation, financing and job creation.
With Nigeria’s public procurement market representing over 20 per cent of GDP, the forum underscored the economic significance of ensuring inclusion and fairness in how public contracts are awarded.
As anticipation builds around the first major procurement reform in twelve years, the consultative forum demonstrated broad institutional alignment toward implementation.
The forum concluded with a shared commitment to cross-sector collaboration to ensure that the policy translates into tangible participation for historically excluded groups. Inter-Bau Foundation reaffirmed its role in supporting implementation through advocacy, procurement readiness programmes and multi-stakeholder engagement.
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ABOUT GIZ
The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH is a German federal enterprise implementing on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and the Swiss Agency for Development Cooperation (SDC).
Contact:
Britta Erckelens | GIZ | Programme Manager, SKYE II | [britta.vanerckelens@giz.de](mailto:britta.vanerckelens@giz.de)
Ayotunde Razaq Jr. | GIZ | Communications Advisor, SKYE II | [ayotunde.razaq@giz.de](mailto:ayotunde.razaq@giz.de)
ABOUT INTER-BAU FOUNDATION
Inter-Bau Foundation for Women and Youths is a non-profit organisation committed to bridging the gender and skills gap within Nigeria’s construction and built environment sector. Through advocacy, capacity development, policy engagements, research and multi-stakeholder partnerships, the Foundation promotes inclusive economic participation and works to position women, youth and other priority groups for sustainable employment and enterprise opportunities.
Inter-Bau Foundation [interbaufoundation@gmail.com ]
