Ayodele Olalere
Lagos State government has launched the Lagos State Gender Responsive Procurement Policy., GRP, aimed at giving more opportunities to women to have access to contracts from the government.
The initiative was launched on Friday through the state’s Public Procurement Agency and will help to correct the disparity between the number of men that have access to public procurement and their women folks..
According to the Director General of the Lagos State Public Procurement Agency, Fatai Onafowote, while speaking at the Media Forum on the Lagos State Gender Responsive Procurement Policy, held in Lagos.
According to him, for a long, women entrepreneurs have been marginalized in having access to public procurement.
” 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.
“This policy is our commitment to dismantling those barriers and creating a more equitable and inclusive procurement environment,” he said.
He noted that ‘the objectives of this policy is 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.’
The Special Adviser to the governor on Media and Publicity, Gboyega Akosile described the initiative as a good one which will allow more women to bid for contacts.
“There should be more women in whatever we do. In the near future, we can see a female president or governor.,” he said.
The Head of Contractor Registration Department of the agency, Adeola Sanwo, said a survey shows out of 100 successful contract bidding, 80% are men while only 20% are women.
She therefore seeks for an executive order by the governor to make the implementation of the policy mandatory for all ministries and agencies.
“Our survey shows that 20% of women engage in public procurement. We want more women to benefit from government’s procurement. Women should be encouraged to take risks,” she said.
She urged the media to, through their writings, change the narratives against women and influence policy action that favours women.
Sanwo thanked the United Nations Women for their support and collaboration with the Lagos State government in championing gender equality and the empowerment of women..
