By Edidiong Ekpo and Mercy Don Igwe
In the world today, the call for gender equality and empowerment of women has become increasingly vocal and widespread. It’s not just a moral imperative; it is also essential for achieving sustainable development and fostering inclusive economic growth. One often overlooked but powerful tool in advancing these goals is gender-responsive procurement.
Gender-responsive procurement refers to a procurement process or strategy that takes into account and addresses gender-related considerations and disparities. It aims to promote gender equality, empower women, and reduce gender-based discrimination in the procurement of goods, services, and works.
The Power of Gender-Responsive Procurement
Gender-responsive procurement creates various opportunities for women-owned businesses and entrepreneurs. By giving women equal access to procurement opportunities, it helps them penetrate the market that has been dominated by men. This economic empowerment can lead to increased income, financial independence, and improved livelihoods for women.
When women are economically empowered, the overall economy benefits. Studies have shown that empowering women in the workforce can contribute to higher productivity and economic growth; From the latest available data, the share of women in informal employment in developing countries was 4.6 percentage points higher than that of men, when including agricultural workers, and 7.8 percentage points higher when excluding them. Gender-responsive procurement supports this by breaking down barriers and promoting fair competition among businesses, regardless of gender. By involving women-owned businesses in procurement processes, organizations can also promote gender diversity in decision-making. This can lead to more inclusive policies and practices within both the public and private sectors.
Implementing Gender-Responsive Procurement in Nigeria
The Public and Private Development Centre (PPDC) alongside other organizations is delving into Gender-Responsive Procurement in Nigeria. UN Women engaged PPDC to implement a project on the Mapping and capacity assessment of Women-owned/led businesses in Lagos and Kaduna State, Nigeria. In doing this, data was gathered from Women-owned and led businesses, the data highlighted the challenges that hinder women from participating in procurement and proffered recommendations. Also, Procurement agencies, Financial institutions, and regulatory bodies had the opportunity to interact, educate, and enlighten Women-owned businesses on the Procurement Processes in Nigeria. UN Women will use the findings from the assessment to design programs aimed at helping Women-owned businesses. To harness the power of gender-responsive procurement, organizations can take several steps like developing a gender-responsive procurement policy that outlines clear objectives and strategies for integrating gender considerations into procurement processes, Training procurement staff on gender-sensitive practices, including how to evaluate bids and proposals with gender equality in mind.
Collection of gender-disaggregated data on procurement activities to monitor progress and identify areas for improvement. Encourage and support women-owned businesses to participate in procurement opportunities through mentorship, networking, and capacity-building programs, and finally, Involve stakeholders, including women’s organizations and civil society, in the design and implementation of gender-responsive procurement initiatives.
Conclusion
Gender-responsive procurement is a powerful tool that can contribute to gender equality and women’s empowerment while promoting economic growth and social development. By adopting this approach, organizations not only meet ethical and legal standards but also reap the benefits of a more diverse and inclusive marketplace. In a world that increasingly values equality and empowerment, gender-responsive procurement is an essential step toward a fairer and more prosperous future for all.
References
https://www.unwomen.org/en/about-us/procurement/gender-responsive-procurement
