Women’s rights advocates and government officials in the country have raised alarm over findings showing that women-owned businesses continue to access less than 10% of public procurement opportunities, despite years of national policies intended to promote inclusion.
The revelations were presented at a multi-stakeholder meeting hosted by the National Association of Business Women (NABW) in Lilongwe, where researchers said the country’s procurement system remains “gender-blind in practice”, even though public procurement accounts for up to 75% of the national budget.
NABW Executive Director Barbara Banda told Nthanda Times in an interview that Malawi has developed strong laws but failed to enforce them, leaving women excluded from economic opportunities.
She said procurement reforms are long overdue, arguing that laws such as the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Order of 2020 and the PPDA Act of 2025 are treated as “decorations” rather than tools for empowerment.
“We have good policies, but we are not implementing. It makes women poor when there is money going around. So, we are saying no to that because it’s making women poor when there is the opportunity.
“It’s making women poor when there is a lot of money going around. A lot of money is now going to be given through Constituency Development Fund (CDF), MWK5 Billion per constituency and we know we have 228 constituencies. Women should also get a piece of the cake,” said Banda.
The research presented at the meeting also highlighted a range of systemic barriers, including complex tender documents, lack of awareness among women entrepreneurs, inaccessible formats for women with disabilities, and the absence of gender-disaggregated data.
Researchers also noted that women with disabilities face “double discrimination”, with many reporting bias from procurement officers who do not believe they can operate as capable vendors.
In a separate interview, Deputy Director for gender and women’s empowerment in the Ministry of Gender, Disability and Social Welfare Fred Simwaka, said the findings align with government observations about weak enforcement of policies.
He acknowledged that although Malawi has strong legal instruments, they often fail at the implementation stage.
“The statistics are really worrying. Despite the fact that we normally have very good laws, the weakest side of our instruments is implementation,” he said.
Simwaka pointed to the Gender Equality Act’s 40–60 leadership requirement as an example of legislation that is widely ignored in public appointments, noting that enforcement remains a major gap.
However, the Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Assets Authority (PPDA) Regulatory and Review Manager Gerald Mabveka said the existing procurement law includes provisions for women, youth and people with disabilities.
He insisted the Act is not gender blind and argued that the main issue is low levels of sensitization among suppliers.
“Women are included and can be given up to 15% preference in some procurements. There is a gap in terms of sensitization. Women must register, obtain certification and present it during bidding, many don’t know this,” he said.
Representatives of disability organizations said procurement reforms must deliberately address the exclusion of women with disabilities, who remain among the most marginalized participants in Malawi’s business landscape.
Charles Banda, board member of the Federation of Disability Organizations in Malawi (FEDOMA), said normal competition frameworks have effectively locked disabled women out of the country’s largest economic opportunities.
“If you are kicked out of public procurement, then you cannot participate in the economy. These report findings will give women with disabilities a chance to participate at an equal level,” said Banda.
Banda further said a coordinated, multi-sector effort is necessary to ensure that procurement reforms do not suffer the same fate as previous gender policies.
The report recommends turning procurement from a gender-neutral system into one that actively corrects inequalities through law, data, funding, training, inclusion, and enforcement, with women’s economic empowerment as a measurable national outcome.
NABW is implementing an Enhancing Gender-Inclusive Public Procurement and Open Contracting in Malawi project with support from Women and Girls Fund, and the Scottish Government