NABW and COMFWB Engage PPDA to Advance Gender-Responsive Public Procurement
Yesterday, 20th May 2026, the National Association of Business Women (NABW), in collaboration with COMFWB Malawi Chapter, held a policy engagement meeting with the Public Procurement and Disposal of Assets Authority (PPDA) under the activity Engage Policymakers for Policy Review and Implementation with support from Women and Girls Fund financed by Scottish Government.
During the meeting, NABW presented a Policy Brief highlighting barriers affecting women’s participation in public procurement and proposed key recommendations to strengthen Gender-Responsive Public Procurement in Malawi.
Among the key issues discussed were:
Mandatory gender and disability-disaggregated procurement data Legal recognition and definition of Women-Owned Businesses Establishment of a Gender-Responsive Procurement Taskforce involving PPDA, Ministry of Gender, Ministry of Trade, NABW, and COMFWBPPDA welcomed the recommendations and committed to continued collaboration with NABW and COMFWB. The Authority also highlighted that the new MANePS online procurement system will support supplier data capture and that upcoming MANePS sensitization initiatives will intentionally target women entrepreneurs, including decentralizing registration services to districts and translating information into local languages.
This engagement marks another important step towards building a more inclusive, transparent, and accessible public procurement system for women-led businesses in Malawi.
