FG unveils free digital procurement training for MSMEs

The Federal Government on Tuesday rolled out a free digital training platform to remove barriers that have kept local entrepreneurs out of government contracting.

It said the move is to open Nigeria’s multi-billion-naira public procurement space to millions of small businesses.

The platform, unveiled on Tuesday in Abuja by the Bureau of Public Procurement, working with the World Bank, is targeted at roughly 39.6 million nano, micro, small and medium enterprises, to arm them with tools needed to bid for and win public contracts.

Speaking at the unveiling, the Minister of State for Industry, Trade and Investment, Senator John Enoh, called for a departure from an approach centred only on enforcing compliance, toward one that actually makes room for small operators within the system.

He said cumbersome procedures, poor access to information and onerous documentation demands had kept many qualified entrepreneurs locked out of government contracts.

He warned that simply digitising procurement platforms would achieve little if businesses still struggled to use and navigate them.

“Having an online platform isn’t, by itself, enough. Small businesses have to be able to actually use it and take part meaningfully,” the minister said.

He listed limited technical know-how, weak internal systems and an inability to properly interpret procurement documents, draft competitive bids or deliver on contracts as the biggest hurdles MSMEs face, adding that some firms are knocked out over missing paperwork while others lean too heavily on middlemen for want of a clear grasp of procurement rules.

Enoh insisted that government agencies had to streamline their procurement processes, deepen transparency and make a deliberate push to support women-led enterprises and other small businesses so they could compete on a level footing.

“Every woman-owned business, every small business, deserves the chance to learn the rules of the game and compete fairly,” he said, calling on business associations to take charge of the initiative by creating awareness among their members and getting them ready to seize procurement opportunities.

He also pressed for tighter alignment between procurement reform and gender inclusion, job creation, local content and the wider economic agenda.

Earlier, the BPP Director-General, Dr Adebowale Adedokun, said the training scheme was built to close the knowledge and capacity gaps that had historically shut MSMEs out of government contracts.

Adedokun noted that small businesses make up about 96 per cent of enterprises in the country and account for roughly half of Gross Domestic Product, yet remain badly underrepresented in public procurement.

He explained that the platform, usable on smartphones, tablets and computers, offers hands-on training on spotting opportunities, putting together competitive bids, understanding contract obligations and meeting government performance benchmarks, complete with interactive modules, quizzes, worked examples and completion certificates.

Adedokun disclosed that the bureau was also looking afresh at the barriers facing MSMEs, with particular focus on women-owned businesses, young entrepreneurs and persons with disabilities, but cautioned that finishing the training does not automatically translate to a contract.

“I should stress that going through the training programmes does not guarantee that government contracts will follow,” he said, noting that awards would still go through the established competitive process.

Also speaking, the Director-General, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria, Charles Odii, said the scheme would link millions of Nigerian businesses to one of the country’s biggest and most dependable markets.

He put the number of nano, micro, small and medium enterprises in the country at 39,654,385, arguing that widening their access to public contracts would boost local production, create jobs and keep more economic value at home.

Odii described the move as being in step with President Bola Tinubu’s Nigeria First policy, which pushes for greater involvement of domestic enterprises in economic opportunities.

“Giving small businesses a shot at competing is both an opportunity and a sustainable way of backing them,” he said.

Odii added that a draft National Policy on MSMEs for 2026 to 2030, which treats public procurement as a key tool for growing enterprises and building local content, was still awaiting the Federal Executive Council’s approval.

In his remarks, the World Bank’s Country Director for Nigeria, Matthew Verghis, said widening MSME participation in government procurement would sharpen competition, make public spending more efficient and drive job creation.

He said procurement reform had to build capacity on both sides, among businesses as well as government officials, stressing that how well the new platform works will hinge on how widely it is adopted and how competitive participating enterprises become.

“Your success, in the end, will be Nigeria’s success,” Verghis told the entrepreneurs.

The Minister of Youth Development, Ayodele Olawande, also urged young Nigerians to build the right skills and position themselves to take advantage of procurement opportunities as they come up.

The training rollout falls under the World Bank-backed Sustainable Procurement, Environmental and Social Standards Enhancement Project, which is aimed at building procurement capacity and embedding sustainable practices across Nigeria’s public and private.