Uganda lacks women's public procurement policy
47 percent of women experience economic violence, further impacting their access to public procurement opportunities. Photo/File
What you need to know:
- In order to increase women's participation in public procurement, the government should incorporate the amended 2021 PPDA Act and the 2003 Act to enable them to benefit from the provisions of local content, which stipulate a 30 percent allocation.
A study conducted by the Africa Freedom Centre for Information (AFIC) in early 2023 has revealed that Uganda is the only country within the East African Community without policies and practices guiding women's participation in public procurement.
The study highlights that Tanzania, Kenya, and Rwanda have procurement frameworks that require procuring entities to allocate 30 percent of their annual procurement budgets to special groups such as women and people with disabilities.
"In Tanzania, businesses must form groups to access such funding, while in Rwanda, women and PWDs are required to bid as a group, leading to their increased success in winning government contracts," the study explains.
In Kenya, every procuring entity is mandated to allocate at least 30 percent of its procurement value equally to women and persons with disabilities, without the need for performance securities.
National level procuring entities are required to provide data on the value of services procured from women-owned businesses every six months to the national procurement authority.
Despite existing frameworks and instruments like the Uganda Gender Policy 2007, which commits the government to improving gender equality and achieving Sustainable Development Goals, including Goals 1 and 5, the study finds that these policies have not fully addressed the strategy for ensuring equal access to economic resources for poor and vulnerable women.
The study also highlights that without a policy or strategy and with limited land ownership rights for women, their access to collateral securities such as land to obtain finance from financial institutions remains elusive, hindering their participation in public procurement processes.
Gender experts argue that women have a human right to realise their economic rights through participation in procurement processes and accessing economic benefits.
Women's economic empowerment is directly linked to poverty reduction, and effective procurement processes should focus on advancing economic and social policies that promote women's economic empowerment, including their participation in public procurement.
According to the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS), 23 percent of women are compelled to hand over their earnings to their spouses, indicating a lack of control over their own earnings. Additionally, 47 percent of women experience economic violence, further impacting their access to public procurement opportunities.
Mr. Gilbert Sendugwa, the Executive Director of AFIC, said in order to increase women's participation in public procurement, the government should incorporate the amended 2021 PPDA Act and the 2003 Act to enable them to benefit from the provisions of local content, which stipulate a 30 percent allocation.
"Although the amendments were passed in 2021, regulations to guide the implementation of this provision are still pending for the 2003 Act," he stated.
