An initiative designed to empower women in Tanzania to take up active roles in public procurement has reported tremendous progress in its outreach and advocacy programs.
Through stakeholder engagements and training sessions involving government ministries, women, and various interest groups, the researchers anticipate their initiative will trigger far-reaching policy reforms and ultimately accelerate women’s involvement in public procurement.
The 36-month IDRC-supported project “Empowering Women-Owned Businesses Through Public Procurement in Tanzania” was designed to enhance women-owned SMEs’ more significant access to public procurement by identifying and tackling the gender-specific challenges that inhibit women entrepreneurs’ participation in public procurement.
The program also seeks to facilitate specific modifications to the country’s Public Procurement Policy and Regulations to foster the inclusion of women’s SMEs as suppliers to public and private agencies and provide support to the government and key stakeholders to scale up and sustain the interventions.
Thirty-three months into the project, the researchers from the Economic and Social Research Foundation (ESRF) said they were on course to achieve its broader objectives.
During this period, they reviewed and identified the gender-specific challenges and barriers impeding women’s participation in public procurement.
Additionally, the program provided 389 WSMEs with skills and capacity enhancement training on digital procurements, compliance, business certifications, tenders, tendering methods, and access to finance.
Multiple training methodologies were engaged, ranging from theoretical to practical approaches, and a pedagogical approach specifically applied critical methods appropriate for adult learning.
There was also coaching, mentorships, and hands-on support, including mobile channels such as bulk text messaging, phone calls, and WhatsApp.
The team provided relevant details such as information regarding tenders, official contacts of government authorities and personnel offering various services, updates on various guidelines, and assistance on how to get a business license or register under various government entities.
The third objective involved supporting the government and critical stakeholders in scaling up and sustaining the interventions, which had been partly achieved.
About 57 participants from government ministries and selected from key procuring institutions, including construction, academia, local government associations, and the social and health sectors, attended training sessions. The intervention team facilitated the attendance of 10 WSMEs (2 from each district) to government intervention sessions in Dodoma.
Using the platform, WSMEs expressed their opinions and described the barriers preventing them from participating in public procurement, including past experiences with instances of corruption. WSMEs further addressed existing bureaucracies in providing services related to businesses’ compliance among government institutions.
Other notable engagements with key stakeholders and policy partners include the team’s participation in the UN CSW 68 meeting in New York on 20th March 2024, at the invitation of the Ministry of Community Development, Gender, Women, and special groups from mainland Tanzania.
During the high-profile convention, the team engaged with the MDAs, who included Tanzania’s Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Community Development, Gender, Women, and special groups from mainland Tanzania, as well as the Permanent Secretary from the Ministry of Community Development, Gender, Elderly and Children (Zanzibar), Deputy Permanent Secretary from the Ministry of Finance, Deputy Speaker of the Zanzibar, and other MDAs.
The team also brought the Corruption Prevention Bureau (PCCB) on board and co-facilitated an integrity module delivered to government officials during the training. As a result of this engagement, the PCCB expressed interest in a possible collaboration with the GrOW team in Tanzania.
Overall, the team reported widespread interest among government institutions, ministries, and departments in collaborating to scale gender responsiveness (GR) in their institutional functions, including procurement functions.
It was further noted that the training participants showed eagerness to learn and promised change. The team asserted that capacitating this goodwill would promote a more just and inclusive utilization of the government’s affirmative action by particular groups, including women.
The team identified various gaps that require investment in research for development and described new areas where IDRC could invest to address gender inequalities in the world of work.
Among its recommendations, the team proposed partnerships with financial institutions to offer low-interest loans tailored to women’s business needs to prioritize WSME access to finance.
The team also expressed the need for technical assistance – which includes business planning and legal support – as an essential tool for enhancing WSMEs’ competitiveness in securing tender opportunities.
“Collaborating with business management experts can fulfill this need and foster sustainable growth among WSMEs,” the team asserted in their report.
