Friday, May 20, 2022
  • About Us
  • ImagiNATION
  • Adverts
  • Rate Card
  • Contact Us
The Nation Online
Advertisement
  • Home
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Life & Style
    • Every Woman
      • Soul
      • Family
    • Religion
    • Feature
  • Society
  • Columns
  • Sports
  • Chichewa
  • Enation
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Life & Style
    • Every Woman
      • Soul
      • Family
    • Religion
    • Feature
  • Society
  • Columns
  • Sports
  • Chichewa
  • Enation
No Result
View All Result
No Result
View All Result
Home Business Business News

‘Women marginalised On govt contracts’

by Joseph Mwale
13/03/2021
in Business News
3 min read
0
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on WhatsAppShare on LinkedinLinkedinShare via Email

Government spends billions of kwacha every year buying goods and services from the private sector, but women-owned businesses supply only 1 percent of this market, a study shows.

The survey, Open Government Contracting (OGC) done in 2019 but released this week in Nigeria, Malawi and Kenya by Center for Human Rights and Rehabilitation (CHRR) and the Africa Freedom of Information Centre calls for immediate review of the Public Procurement and Disposal of Assets (PPDA) Act to ensure equal issuance of tenders to both men and women.

Women only got1 percent of contracts from government past two years

Part of the report reads: “Most of the respondents indicated that public contracting is male-dominated. The consultations, which included one-on-one interviews and focus group discussions with over 80 women entrepreneurs drawn from Lilongwe, found that less than 1 percent of the respondents had ever received government contracts.

“The women indicated that they face considerable barriers and challenges to accessing procurement tender and winning procurement contracts, including high minimum capital requirements to register as a vendor, inadequate access to credit and gender bias in tendering process.”

According the report, many women lack understanding of tenders, and there has been no effort by procuring entities or other organisations to build their capacity in this regard.

It adds: “The research established that access to procurement information was a challenge for women entrepreneurs. Most women entrepreneurs interviewed cited newspapers as their only source of procurement information. However, not many women can afford to buy newspapers every day.

“Literacy levels among women are very low compared to their male counterparts, which suggests that women entrepreneurs are unable to effectively participate in public procurement because they are not able to access adverts and other procurement information.”

CHRR executive director Michael Kaiyatsa said in an interview Wednesday said it is appalling that women, who make up about 53 percent of the Malawi population, continue to be underrepresented in many key areas, including business.

He said: “Women have as much right to do business with the government as their male counterparts. Government must put in place deliberate measures to increase the percentage of contracts going to women and youth in Malawi. For this to happen there is need to review the law regulating procurement.

“Malawi should borrow a leaf from Kenya where the procurement law has reserved 30 percent of government procurement of goods, services and works for enterprises owned by women, youth and people with disabilities. This is the only to enhance women’s equal participation in public contracting,” he said.

The report come days after a World Bank report where Malawi scored 77.5 percent, down from 80.6 percent in 2020 on measures the laws and regulations that affect women’s economic opportunity in 190 economies.During presentation of the 2020/2021 Mid Year Budget review, Fiannce Minister Felxi Mlusu said Government was committed to empowering informal sector entrepreneurs through cooperatives and associations to upgrade their skills and enable them produce quality products for the local and export market.

“In this regard, in December 2020 Government under the Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Assets Act enacted regulations to empower SMEs to participate in public procurement of goods, works, and services.

“However, these SMEs are required to register their businesses with the Registrar of Companies and the Malawi Revenue Authority for tax purposes,” he said.

Previous Post

Growing out of covid-19 woes

Next Post

Cotton production on downward trajectory

Related Posts

Business News

Maldeco initiative bears fruits, boosts fish output

May 20, 2022
Business News

Grain traders rue maize export silence

May 20, 2022
Ntupanyama: Fisheries sector 
is crippled by overfishing
Business News

Ministry hails K124m investment in clean agriculture

May 19, 2022
Next Post

Cotton production on downward trajectory

Opinions and Columns

Business Unpacked

Fixing economy needs action, not rhetoric

May 19, 2022
Candid Talk

Know your place in his/her life

May 15, 2022
People’s Tribunal

Why can’t we start with implementing the reforms?

May 15, 2022
Big Man Wamkulu

My wife is a WhatsApp addict

May 15, 2022

Trending Stories

  • CAF accepts FAM’s request on Flames fixture shift

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Onesimus leaves Major One Records

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • MCTU pushes for 75% minimum wage hikeof

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Road traffic spot fines on way out

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Mayors may face ballots

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0

Malawi-Music.com Top10

  • Values
  • Our Philosophy
  • Editorial policy
  • Advertising Policy
  • Code of Conduct
  • Plagiarism disclaimer
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use

© 2022 Nation Publications Limited. All Rights Reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Life & Style
    • Every Woman
      • Soul
      • Family
    • Religion
    • Feature
  • Society
  • Columns
  • Sports
  • Chichewa
  • Enation

© 2020 Nation Publications Limited. All Rights Reserved.

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.