In Lagos, women CEOs and key stakeholders have formed a coalition to address gender disparities in economic opportunities in Nigeria and to advance women’s economic empowerment.
According to a statement by UN Women, on Tuesday, the coalition aimed to enhance women’s access to public and private procurement and income-generating opportunities, ultimately improving the lives of women and girls.
Nigeria, despite having one of the highest numbers of female entrepreneurs globally, sees women-owned businesses struggling to secure procurement contracts. This indicates systemic gender disparities within the procurement systems of both government and private sector organizations.
The coalition’s formation is part of the “Women’s Economic Empowerment through Affirmative Procurement Reform in West and Central Africa” project, funded by the African Development Bank and Women’s Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative (WeFi). This initiative seeks to enhance opportunities for women-led businesses to access public procurement and corporate supply chains.
The project aims to create an enabling environment for women to achieve financial independence and to enhance the capacities of government officials to implement gender-responsive policies. These policies are essential for sustainable development, enabling women and girls to fully participate in and benefit equally from socioeconomic opportunities, addressing underlying causes of vulnerability, including gender inequality.
As part of the exit strategy, the coalition will collaborate with state institutions to advocate for the approval of state policies, monitor government interventions, and promote the economic rights of women entrepreneurs. The coalition will also push for the domestication of legal frameworks supporting women’s economic empowerment, serving as connectors between government, businesses, and civil society organizations to foster a strong enabling environment.
UN Women Country Representative to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Beatrice Eyong, represented by Women’s Economic Empowerment Specialist Chukwuemeka Onyimadu, highlighted that, according to the National Policy on Women’s Economic Empowerment, 30% of all public procurement opportunities should be reserved for women-owned and women-led businesses. However, this target has yet to be achieved due to socio-economic challenges.
Leading women CEOs and representatives from various women’s associations, including WISCAR, WIMBIZ, ANWBN, AWE, AWP, WACCIMA, and JONAPED, participated in the strategic meeting. The Director General of Lagos State Public Procurement Agency, Fatai Onafowote, reiterated Lagos State’s commitment to improving women’s access to public procurement.
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