Chevening Alumni to host budgeting training

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The Chevening Alumni Association Nigeria is set to host a gender-focused budgeting and procurement training in Rivers State as part of efforts to strengthen institutional capacity and expand women’s participation in public procurement.

According to a statement by the Chevening Programme Officer at the British High Commission in Nigeria, Oluwafunmilayo Ladepo, the programme is organised in partnership with DO Take Action and supported by the Chevening Alumni Programme Fund of the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

Ladepo said the programme would feature a Train-the-Trainers Workshop as well as a High-Level Stakeholders Engagement Forum and Graduation Ceremony.

She explained that the activities fall under the Scaling Women’s Economic Empowerment through Affirmative Procurement (SWEEAP) programme— a Chevening-supported initiative aimed at promoting gender-inclusive reforms and improving the technical capacity of government institutions in gender-responsive budgeting and procurement.

The initiative also seeks to empower women-owned and women-led businesses to access government contract opportunities.

The Train-the-Trainers Workshop will be held on December 11, 2025, at 9:00 a.m., bringing together procurement officers, gender desk officers, and civil society representatives for intensive training on integrating gender-responsive practices into government systems to drive inclusive development across Rivers State.

According to Ladepo, a High-Level Stakeholders Engagement Forum with the theme “Advancing Gender-Responsive Budgeting and Affirmative Procurement for Inclusive Development in Nigeria” will take place on December 12, 2025, at 9:00 a.m.

She said the forum would convene senior government officials, policymakers, development partners, women entrepreneurs, private sector actors, and civil society organisations to deepen policy dialogue, strengthen collaboration, and chart a sustainable roadmap for institutionalising affirmative procurement practices in the state.

The event will also feature the graduation of beneficiaries who have completed the SWEEAP capacity-building programme, signifying their readiness to leverage public procurement opportunities and contribute to inclusive economic growth.

“The UK, through the FCDO’s Chevening Alumni Programme Fund, is proud to support the SWEEAP initiative. This project embodies our commitment to strengthening institutional capacity and fostering the policy dialogue necessary for inclusive economic growth and gender equality in Nigeria. We look forward to the tangible policy outcomes this forum will yield in Rivers State,” the statement added.

The President of the Chevening Alumni Association of Nigeria, Kester Osahenye, said the initiative demonstrates the value of alumni-led interventions.

“The SWEEAP initiative exemplifies how strategic alumni-led interventions can contribute meaningfully to advancing the development agenda in Nigeria. Our goal is to strengthen the capacity of government institutions and women-owned businesses so that gender-responsive procurement becomes a norm, not an aspiration,” he said.

The Chief Executive Officer of DO Take Action, Precious Ebere Chinonso, also explained the programme’s broader mission, saying, “Scaling women’s 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.”

Daniel, well versed in print and multimedia journalism with about 10 years experience, is also a videographer, photographer, cinematographer, video editor, and website developer

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