Gov’t urged to prioritise women in procurement processes

The Public and Private Development Centre (PPDC) has called on governments to amend laws to apportion certain percentages to women in the contracting process and provide access to funding opportunities for them to venture into procurement.

Presenting findings in Abuja yesterday, from a research project on women in the formal and informal sectors, the Programme Director, Ifeoma Onyebuchi, said PPDC is advocating the reduction and or waiver of tax rates on small businesses to help them thrive and bid for contracts.

Findings from the research indicated that women are often sidelined in the public procurement process as a result of various factors. Some include lack of access to information, technology, cultural bias and lack of understanding of the contracting process.

The project which was implemented in three countries of Kenya, Nigeria, and Malawi, she said sought to deepen Women’s participation in public procurement in Nigeria; access the level of institutional arrangements and policies that inhibit or encourage their participation.

“To this end, an in-depth review of existing laws, policies, and government initiatives was undertaken to determine gaps and make suggestions on best approaches to promote gender equity in Nigeria’s contracting landscape,” she said.

The spokesperson of INEC in the FCT, Ndidi Okafor, said when women are empowered economically; it simply means they will be empowered politically.