But we need to translate this understanding into action and ensure that governments — and the private sector — do more to make this happen.

The fact remains that despite encouraging results in some countries, there is no economy today where women are on the same economic footing as men. In trade, even less so.

One way to help rebalance inequality is through procuring from women-owned businesses.

Welcoming female entrepreneurs

For these women-owned businesses  — which make up more than 40% of the world’s micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) — trading across borders has its particular challenges. The same is true for winning procurement contracts, which is even harder.

Only 1% of government procurement tenders are won by women

That winning procurement contracts is more challenging for women should come as no surprise: women entrepreneurs are at a disadvantage in many aspects of local and international trade.

They face unequal access to finance, skills, land and support networks. And evidence by surveys carried out by the International Trade Centre (ITC), suggests that women frequently encounter gender-specific barriers when dealing with trade-related paperwork, including public-procurement tenders.

Extreme gender imbalances

In 2015, ITC launched the SheTrades Initiative, which aims to connect 3 million women entrepreneurs and women-owned businesses to international markets by 2021.

The initiative sets out seven areas for intervention that need particular attention if we are to unlock more opportunities for women to trade. One of these areas is procurement.

Procurement, in this sense, refers to both government purchases and private-sector sourcing. In most economies, government procurement accounts for between 10% and 25% of GDP.

In some developing countries, this figure can even reach up to 40%.

What is clear is that public and private private-sector procurement together account for a very sizeable percentage of global economic output.

Still, according to a joint study done by ITC and Chatham House on gender and procurement, globally, only 1% of government procurement tenders are won by women.

As a result, women-owned businesses lose out on the potential that these procurement contracts can offer: growing their business, building scale and innovation and entering new value chains.

Changing business as usual 

So why is it that there is such a low rate of women winning public and private procurement contracts?

In many ways, it boils down to gender-specific challenges that stem from the confluence of underlying socio-economic and cultural factors that affect how women-owned businesses operate.

Women-owned businesses lack access to finance compared to their male-owned competitors, which places women-owned businesses at a disadvantage with respect to bidding and compliance costs as well as the ability to absorb the impact of delayed payments.

Women-owned businesses are less present in the “high economic impact” sectors that grab the lion’s share of procurement contracts, such as construction, transportation, warehousing, manufacturing and wholesale trade.

In fact, in some developed economies, the share of MSMEs owned by women ranges from only 3% to 18% in these sectors.

In developing countries, women-owned businesses face additional obstacles in bidding for contracts. For example, to demonstrate eligibility, they must be able to demonstrate technical competence, financial resources, equipment and other physical facilities (to be held as collateral), managerial capability, experience, and personnel that are often certified by responsible national agencies. Women-owned businesses are often at a disadvantage because they are typically smaller than their male-owned competitors, with less experience and fewer resources to draw upon.

The bidding process itself is quite cumbersome and difficult to navigate. In both the public and private sector, tender information is not easily accessible, requirements and skills qualifications are unclear, and a significant financial burden is often placed on bidders.

In addition, companies and government agencies often rely on established channels to identify new suppliers or sales representatives. If in the past these have been dominated by male-owned businesses, the future is likely to be similar.

Opening the door to women

So what can be done to enable women-owned companies to win more procurement contracts?

It will require a concerted effort and collaboration between public and private sector actors, and, above all, political will.

This is not just about creating more opportunities for women: it is about creating societies that are equal, fairer, and to ensure a future that is more economically inclusive

It is also fundamental to have a clearer understanding of the definition of a women-owned business to be able to collect sex-disaggregated data on women’s participation in procurement. This will inform the requirements of suppliers to meet the needs of buyers, and can help in the creation of certification and registration programmes developed to pre-qualify contractors.

This can help to create an enabling policy environment that facilitates opportunities including preferential schemes, specific provisions, and subcontracting plans that benefit women-owned businesses.

Small steps 

But let’s also keep in mind that, to date, only 17 countries have specific legislation on women-owned businesses in their procurement policies. For these to work, governments need to clearly communicate information on source selection, contract awards, and tender sizes.

Increasing the number of countries that have clear legislation supporting procuring from women-owned businesses is an important political signal to send.

Simple efforts by government and larger enterprises, for example, such as actively seeking out women-owned suppliers, can make a huge difference.

It would lead to more women-owned companies winning tenders — and also increase women representation in procurement and value chains.

We have a long way to go, but we are on the right track. In 2016, the United States for the first time reached its target of awarding 5% of federal procurement to women-owned businesses.

That might not sound like a lot, but it is an important step forward.

Read Also: Nearly 40% of the world’s girls and women live in countries failing on gender equality

Not just a women’s issue

At ITC we have created a series of offerings related to public procurement, many of which are targeting women-owned business in particular. These include best practices and guidelines such as Empowering Women through Public Procurement and Procurement Map, a database that details information on over 150,000 tenders daily and specifies opportunities for women-owned businesses and legislation on women and procurement.

Through the SME Trade Academy, we provide e-learning courses on strategies and solutions that help public procurement officers to create opportunities for women-owned businesses.

Currently we are in the process of developing a new policy tool — the SheTrades Outlook — through which we are collecting and analyzing sex-disaggregated data that will help us better monitor and improve how countries support women to trade, including through procurement.

To improve the ability of women-owned businesses to win more procurement contracts and overcome the frankly dismal current rate of 1%,  it is crucial to increase joint efforts and taking action.

And let’s keep in mind that this is not just about creating more opportunities for women: it is about creating societies that are equal, fairer, and to ensure a future that is more economically inclusive.

This opinion article was written by Arancha González, Executive Director of the International Trade Centre.

The post Why do men win 99 percent of all procurement contracts? appeared first on iWatch Africa.

“The ability to earn and control cash represents more than just earnings—it influences a woman’s ability to make strategic life choices,” said Stephanie Psaki, PhD, deputy director of the Population Council’s Girl Center. “This is one of the first studies to show consistently across so many countries and settings that having a child early can impact future earning potential.”

Drawing from nationally representative Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) data in 43 low- and middle-income countries, representing more than 600 million women, the analysis found that:

1. Childbearing before age 18 is widespread. Despite global declines in the rates of adolescent childbearing in the last 25 years, the study found that it remains common in many low- and middle-income countries, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa where in nearly a dozen countries at least 30 percent of women have a child before age 18.

1. Women who have a child before age 18 are less likely to earn cash for their work throughout their lives. More specifically, women (ages 20–24) who have a child before age 18 are more likely to be employed in the short term; however, they are less likely to earn cash in the short-term and throughout their reproductive lives.

1. Most women work, but whether they are paid for their work differs. In many countries, women do not have control over their own earnings. In the majority of countries studied, most women work; however, whether they are paid for their work or not varies widely, as does their ability to control their earnings. In Togo, for example, among married and cohabiting women, most work (86 percent), earn cash (62 percent) and retain control of their earnings (57 percent). In contrast, the vast majority of married and cohabitating women in Burundi work (94 percent), but just 16 percent earn cash and 4 percent retain sole control over their earnings. (plumascounty.org)

“The study examines complex issues, but the implications are simple—in order to move the needle on gender equality, women need to be able to control their own fertility and their own earnings,” said Katja Iversen, President/CEO of Women Deliver. “We need societal investment in access to modern contraception, safe abortion, and comprehensive sexuality education, as well as in expanding economic opportunities for all girls and women.”

Read Also: Fact-check: President Akufo-Addo’s claim that women make up 30 percent of his cabinet is false

The analysis used the newest available DHS data (2012–2018) from 43 countries and included all women ages 20–49, allowing for nationally representative findings that are comparable across countries and over time. Few studies have considered the short- and long-term effects that a birth before age 18 have on women’s earning potential.

“The study confirms that early life events can shape the trajectory of a young woman’s life,” said Julia Bunting, OBE, president, Population Council. “Policymakers need to invest in better understanding the tradeoffs girls and women face and prioritize actions that will ensure girls and women have a full range of life options.”

By Gideon Sarpong | 
Follow @gideonsarpong

  | iWatch Africa

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President Akufo-Addo during his presentation argued that his cabinet is made up of 30 percent women reiterating his commitment to promoting gender-equality in Ghana.

iWatch Africa checks revealed that out of his nineteen (19) Cabinet Ministers, only five (5) of them are women, which represents 26% of Cabinet, and not 30% as the president claimed.

The president also said he is yet to see “enough dynamism” in gender activism by Ghanaian women, a comment which received some heavy backlash from activists all over the world.

“We are not seeing enough dynamism and activism on the part of those who are seeking. I am talking about dynamism where it matters…electing people to parliament, controlling political parties because they are the instruments by which our societies make decisions.

“We are talking about decisions, not wishes and hopes, we are talking about decisions that are going to make the difference,” the President said.

The comments attracted heavy criticisms from some leading activists in Ghana despite the open challenge that was given the president by Dr Alaa Murabit, the UN’s High Commissioner on Health Employment and Economic Growth at the conference.

A prominent gender activist and former Gender Minister, Oye Lithur said the President’s comments “made her cry” as a Ghanaian woman.

Read Also: Nearly 40% of the world’s girls and women live in countries failing on gender equality

“President Akufo-Addo made me cry, I cried when I watched the video. To have a human rights lawyer speak and address gender issues in the way he addressed, very regrettable. He couldn’t even get his data right. Even the representation of women in his cabinet, he couldn’t get that right,” she stated.

Below is a list of Akufo-Addo’s Cabinet Ministers (Source: Ministry of Information)

M/F	Portfolio	Incumbent	Term
	Ministry of Trade and Industry	Alan Kyeremanten	2017 –
	Ministry of Finance	Ken Ofori-Atta	2017 –
	Ministry of Defence	Dominic Nitiwul	2017 –
	Ministry of The Interior	Ambrose Dery	2017 –
	Ministry of Energy	Mr John-Peter Amewu	2018 –
F	Office of Attorney General and Ministry of Justice	Gloria Akuffo	2017 –
F	Ministry of Foreign Affairs	Shirley Ayorkor Botchway	2017 –
	Ministry of Food and Agriculture	Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto	2017 –
	Ministry of Education	Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh	2017 –
	Ministry of Health	Kwaku Agyemang-Manu	2017 –
	Minister of Monitoring and Evaluation	Dr. Anthony Akoto Osei	2017 –
	Ministry of Regional Reorganization and Development	Dan Kweku Botwe	2017 –
	Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources	Kweku Asomah Cheremeh	2018 –
	Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources	Joseph Kofi Adda	2017 –
	Ministry of Railway Development	Joe Ghartey	2017 –
	Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations	Ignatius Bafuor Awuah	2017 –
	Ministry of Transport	Kweku Ofori Asiamah	2017 –
F	Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture	Barbara Oteng Gyasi	2019 –
F	Ministry of Special Development Initiative	Mavis Hawa Koomson	2017 –
F	Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development (Ghana)	Elizabeth Afoley Quaye	2017 –

By Gideon Sarpong | Follow @gideonsarpong | iWatch Africa

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The SDG Gender Index, launched at the Women Deliver 2019 Conference, is the most comprehensive tool available to measure the state of gender equality aligned to the SDGs. The index, covering 14 of the 17 SDGs, measures countries on 51 issues ranging from health, gender-based violence, climate change, decent work and others.

The global average score of the 129 countries—which represents 95% of the world’s girls and women— is 65.7 out of 100 (“poor” in the index scoring system). No one country is the world’s best performer—or even among the world’s top ten performers—across all goals or all issues.

In 2015, world leaders from all countries committed to achieve gender equality by 2030 for every girl and every woman when they signed on to the ambitious goals and targets of the SDGs.

Overall, the world is furthest behind on gender equality issues related to public finance and better gender data (SDG 17), climate change (SDG 13), gender equality in industry and innovation (SDG 9) and – worryingly – the standalone ‘gender equality’ goal (SDG 5).

Denmark tops the index, followed closely by Finland, Sweden, Norway, and the Netherlands. The countries with the lowest scores in the index – Niger, Yemen, Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Chad – have all faced conflict and fragility in recent years.

“With just 11 years to go, our index finds that not a single one of the 129 countries is fully transforming their laws, policies or public budget decisions on the scale needed to reach gender equality by 2030. We are failing to deliver on the promises of gender equality for literally billions of girls and women,” said Alison Holder, Director of Equal Measures 2030.

“This report should serve as a wakeup call to the world. We won’t meet the SDGs with 40% of girls and women living in countries that are failing on gender equality,” said Melinda Gates, Co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. “But the SDG Gender Index also shows that progress is possible. Many countries with the most limited resources are making huge strides in removing the barriers for girls and women across economies, politics and society – demonstrating that when it comes to gender equality, governments shouldn’t have excuses for inaction.”

“As advocates for gender equality in Africa, we can no longer operate on presumptions and approximations. Gaps of inequalities must be marked, counted and recorded so that the trail of implementation is clear and decision makers are held to account. The SDG Gender Index will help to ensure that Africa’s girls and women are counted and accounted for,” said Memory Kachambwa, Executive Director of the African Women’s Development and Communication Network (FEMNET).

“With 8,000 decision-makers, advocates, and influencers gathered in Vancouver as part of the Women Deliver Conference, and over 100,000 participating around the world, we have the collective power to drive real progress on these gender equality scores and create real impact for girls and women,” said Katja Iversen, President/CEO of Women Deliver.

Released alongside the index, a new report from Plan International revealed that a vast majority of girls worldwide want to take leadership positions in the workplace, politics and wider society, yet more than 9 out of 10 believe as women leaders they will suffer widespread discrimination and sexual harassment.

Read Also: Key findings of the TAC Baseline Study [Infographic]

Close to 10,000 girls and young women between 15 and 24 years were surveyed in 19 countries as part of the research released today at the Women Deliver 2019 Conference.

Of all girls and young women surveyed, 76% said they aspired to be a leader and over 60% said they felt confident of their abilities to lead. At the same time, 94% believed that being a leader involved being treated unfairly as compared to men and 93% felt female leaders experienced unwanted physical contact. Alarmingly, this perception was stronger amongst young women who had some experience of leadership than those who had none.

“The findings show that despite having the aspirations to lead, girls and young women have extremely negative perceptions of what being a female leader involves,” said Anne-Birgitte Albrectsen, CEO of Plan International. “No matter where you are – USA or India, Japan or Sudan – for girls and women globally, being a leader means discrimination and harassment. That’s a major deterrent. In light of this, it’s not surprising that only 24% of parliamentarians worldwide and only 5% of Fortune 500 CEOs are women.
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The report: Taking the Lead, is the first of its kind that shines a light on girls’ and young women’s leadership aspirations, perceptions and real experiences across diverse societies and economies across the globe. It is jointly produced with the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media.

Credit: SDG Gender Index

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