- Kenya takes MSME procurement agenda to global forum
- Sustainable procurement talks highlight new market opportunities
- Government steps up efforts to widen access to public contracts
Kenya has taken its push to expand opportunities for small businesses to the global stage, with State Department for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Principal Secretary (PS) Susan Mang’eni participating in a high-level sustainable procurement forum in New York.
Mang’eni participated in the 2026 High-Level Forum on Sustainable Procurement, convened by the United Nations Global Compact on the margins of the 81st United Nations General Assembly.
The forum brought together government ministers, CEOs and chief procurement officers from across the world to discuss how sustainable procurement can strengthen supply chains, support inclusive economic growth and enhance competitiveness.
For Kenya, the discussions provide an opportunity to showcase how public and private sector purchasing can be used to open markets for MSMEs, strengthen local value chains and promote responsible production.
The country has already taken steps towards widening access to government procurement opportunities through the Access to Government Procurement Opportunities (AGPO) programme, which provides a 30 per cent preferential procurement allocation for youth, women and persons with disabilities.
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The government is also training 600,000 youth on AGPO under the National Youth Opportunities Towards Advancement Project, while the Electronic Government Procurement (e-GP) platform is being used to democratise access to public procurement opportunities.
The push comes at a time when sustainable procurement is increasingly being viewed as more than simply the process of purchasing goods and services, with procurement decisions also capable of influencing who gets access to markets and how supply chains develop.
For Kenyan MSMEs, greater participation in procurement can provide opportunities to secure contracts, expand their businesses and participate more meaningfully in local value chains.
The UN Global Compact’s 2026 forum also focused on translating sustainability commitments into practical procurement and supplier-engagement practices, with discussions centred on building resilient and competitive supply chains.
By Lizzy Aluga
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