UN, WISCAR call for gender-responsive procurement in Nigeria

WISCAR (Women in Successful Careers), in partnership with UN Women, has called for a gender-responsive procurement in the private sector as part of its contribution to the affirmative procurement project in Lagos.

The affirmative procurement project is aimed at promoting gender-responsive procurement practices to accelerate women’s full participation in economic and public life.

The UN, WISCAR initiative will engage private sector organisations across Lagos to commit to the Women Empowerment Principles (WEPs) and prioritise gender equality throughout their procurement and supply chain processes.

“We invite all private sector organizations in Lagos to take a bold step in advancing gender equality by signing up for the WEPs. This is not just a commitment—a pledge to join a growing community of businesses dedicated to driving transformative change in Nigeria and beyond,” WISCAR said in a statement.

According to WISCAR, the affirmative procurement project is coming at a time when global businesses increasingly recognise that pursuing gender equality is not only a moral obligation but a business imperative.

“Women-owned businesses, which comprise 40 percent of small and medium enterprises worldwide, shockingly receive only one percent of corporate procurement contracts.”

WISCAR stated further that the initiative seeks to address the disparity and other critical issues associated with procurement and supply chain processes. “With over 200 companies in Nigeria already signed up for the Women Empowerment Principles (WEPs), the affirmative procurement project aims to rally even more businesses to join the movement,” the statement read.

The WEPs are seven guiding principles that provide businesses with a roadmap to promote gender equality and empower women in the workplace, marketplace, and community.

Accordingly, WISCAR stated that the project emphasises the importance of gender-inclusive policies across the supply chain, empowering women-owned businesses and ensuring that gender considerations are embedded in all procurement decisions.

It stated that businesses can create a more inclusive and equitable society with far-reaching benefits for economic prosperity and sustainability by embracing a gender-responsive procurement process.