Scaling Women’s Economic Empowerment, through Affirmative Procurement Reforms (SWEEP), an initiative that is focused on eliminating barriers that limit women-owned and led businesses (WOLBs) in Nigeria’s procurement sector, would commence in January 2025.
Women entrepreneurs represent 40% of Nigerian businesses, and are found to face substantial challenges in accessing public contracts, and constraining their economic impact. Launched in partnership with the World Bank and the Young Professionals Programme (YPP), SWEEP offers a 4-week intensive course in a hybrid format, equipping women entrepreneurs with critical procurement skills for public and private sector contracts, and is open to women entrepreneurs from all sectors of the economy, schedule to take place at the Federal Capital Territory in Abuja.
Through training, mentorship, and engagement with key stakeholders, SWEEP is to address obstacles like financial access, information gaps, and business formalisation, empowering women-owned, and women-led businesses in Abuja to participate competitively in procurement. The mission of the organisers is to foster a more inclusive business environment that supports women entrepreneurs and contributes to Nigeria’s broader development goals, including poverty reduction, job creation, and sustainable growth. Further information can be accessed here: https://dotakeaction.org/WorldBank-sweep/
