The United Nations Women has urged the Lagos State government to allocate a certain “percentage of contract awards of the state to women-owned businesses to enhance the socio-economic well-being of women in the state.”
The UN Women Regional Director, West and Central Africa, Dr Maxime Houinato, made the call at the weekend when he led a delegation of officials of the organisation to the Lagos State Public Procurement Agency.
The delegation disclosed that the UN Women had decided to fully engage and partner with the Lagos State Government in areas involving women’s economic empowerment, affirmative procurement and other gender-related issues.
The Director-General of the Lagos State Public Procurement Agency, Mr Fatai Onafowote, acknowledged the support and contributions of the organisation towards ensuring women’s economic empowerment in the state through deliberate public procurement policies.
While noting that the state’s procurement law was gender neutral, Onafowote said, “The Lagos State Government under Governor Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu is very passionate about inclusiveness and economic empowerment of women and other vulnerable groups in the state.”
He added that “this informed the decision of the state government to change its agenda from T.H.E.M.E.S. to T.H.E.M.E.S. Plus so that special attention could be focused on the welfare and well-being of women, the youth and other vulnerable groups in the state.”
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