Bamburi Cement, IFC initiate women-owned SMEs training to boost participation in local supply chain

By Peter Ochieng

Bamburi Cement in partnership with International Finance Corporation (IFC) through the Sourcing2Equal (S2E) program, has initiated special training targeting women-owned businesses.

The end game is to increase their participation in procurement opportunities within its supply chain.

Speaking during the first training session today which was attended by over 200 women-owned businesses, Bamburi Cement Country CEO Mohit Kapoor expressed the company’s commitment to its sustainable procurement agenda.

“Many Women-owned Small and Medium Enterprises (WSMEs) continue to face challenges while navigating local complex corporate value chains, due to a myriad of challenges like poor credit muscle and lack of information," he said.

"We are committed to providing a lasting solution that promotes equitable competition for supply contracts and desire to see this outcome both within Bamburi Cement and across the industry at large, which is predominantly male-dominated,” Kapoor added.

The program will include at least two training sessions this year, and will be delivered jointly by Bamburi Cement, IFC and IFC’s training partner, WEConnect International.

The women business leaders will gain insight into Bamburi Cement’s supply system and supplier eligibility criteria, as well as understand the procurement rules and procedures.

Bamburi signed the partnership with IFC in May last year, with three commitments: to develop and implement a gender-inclusive sourcing strategy, to collect gender-disaggregated procurement data, and to invest in a targeted supplier outreach program.

They are geared towards raising awareness on procurement opportunities at the company among women-owned businesses.