•Says Gender Responsive Procurement Policy will unlock female potential
Lagos State Government has reinforced its commitment to providing more economic opportunities for women entrepreneurs through the State Gender Responsive Procurement Policy (GRP).
The Lagos State Gender Responsive Procurement Policy (GRP) is aimed at giving more opportunities to women to have access to contracts from the state government.
Speaking during a media forum organised by the Lagos State Public Procurement Agency and the United Nations (UN) Women held at the State secretariat, Alausa on Friday, the Director-General of the Lagos State Public Procurement Agency, Mr. Idowu Onafowote, said the new initiative will help to correct the disparity between the number of men and women that have access to public procurement.
He said: ”For far too long, women-owned businesses and women-led cooperatives have faced significant challenges ranging from limited access to finance and information to capacity constraints that have prevented them from participating fully in our state’s economic activities.
“The new policy is our commitment to dismantling those barriers and creating a more equitable and inclusive procurement environment. The objectives of this policy are to provide greater access to procurement opportunities for women, to equip them with the necessary skills and knowledge, and to create a procurement environment that values and promotes gender equality.”
Speaking at the forum, the Special Adviser to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Media and Publicity, Mr. Gboyega Akosile, described the new initiative as a good one that will allow more women to bid for contracts.
He said, “Today, we moved a step further in our affirmative procurement strategy and action plan for women in Lagos State. Empirical data has shown that 80 percent of men secure government contracts against women, which at the moment stands at 20 percent.
“This wide gap must be closed by all means necessary. This is why the Lagos State Government and her Public Procurement Agency are in partnership with the UNWomen to achieve a 40 to 60 percent ratio. It is one step at a time, and soon we would get there.
“Our women need more economic empowerment. This is the vision of the Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, who believes in the ability of women to do great things if and when given a chance.
“I believe there should be more women in whatever we do. Women need to be empowered, and in the near future, we will see a female president or governor in Nigeria.”
Also speaking, the Head of Contractor Registration Department of the Lagos State Public Procurement Agency, Ms. Adeola Sanwo, said a survey shows out of 100 successful contract biddings, 80 percent are men while only 20 percent are women.
She therefore appealed for an executive order by Governor Sanwo-Olu to make the implementation of the policy mandatory for all ministries and agencies in Lagos State.
Sanwo said a viable platform should be created for more women to benefit from the government’s procurement, adding that women should be encouraged to take part in the procurement process.
She appreciated the United Nations Women for their support and collaboration with the Lagos State Government in championing gender equality and the empowerment of women.
In his presentation, the Head of Communication, UN Women, Mr. Anthony Abu, urged the media to change the narratives against women and influence policy action that favours them.
He said media can change the narrative through their writings and timely reports on issues relating to women’s empowerment, development and inclusion.
