The Lagos State Public Procurement Agency, in collaboration with United Nations Women, has organised a two-day training for procurement specialists in the state.
According to a statement signed by the Director, Public Affairs, Lagos State Public Procurement Agency, Oladapo Olatunde, the programme was aimed at boosting the economic fortunes of women-owned businesses in the state.
The statement read in part, “While welcoming participants to the programme, the Director General of the Agency, Mr. Fatai Onafowote, pointed out that the collaboration of the agency with the UN Women on the training programme would facilitate the empowerment of women-owned businesses to enable them to benefit more from public procurement in the state.
“He expressed appreciation to the UN Women and its partners on the laudable initiative, which, he said, was in tandem with the objective of Governor Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu’s administration to operate an inclusive government in which women and vulnerable groups could enjoy opportunities in government through participation in public procurement.”
In a paper delivered at the two-day event, the UN Women Programme Specialist, Dr. Chukwuemeka Onyimadu, identified some of the challenges usually encountered by women in business to include lack of education, lack of access to relevant information, lack of capital, complexity of the processes involved in public procurement, delays in payment, sexual harassment, and gender-based violence among others.
