PPDC & MacArthur Foundation trains 40 Women,PLWD on open contracting public procurement processes in Adamawa
From Umar Dankano,Yola.
Forty(40) Women including those with special needs (PLWD) were trained on open contracting procedures with a view to improving gender equality and social inclusion in public procurement in Adamawa state.
The training (Workshop) held in Yola on Friday organised by a Non -Governmental Organisation under the aegis ‘Public and Private Development Centre'(PPDC) in conjunction with MacArthur Foundation had majority as women groups participated at the training.
In her welcome address, Program Officer of the public and private Development Centre (PPDC), Chinonye Akubuo said the Centre observed with dismay the non participatory posture of women and people living with disabilities in implementing government policies especially procurement processes in the country.
Akubuo stated that the training is a contribution of the Centre in changing the narrative solely to sensitise the participants (Women) on how to track down the cogent procedures and technicalities involved in contracting policies of the government at all levels.
Akubuo expressed optimism that with the awareness packages been disseminated by the Centre and its partners across the country,women participation in the open contracting processes will improve significantly.
While advising the participants to be visiting Bureau for Public Procurement department for information about government contracts pinpointed that every citizen has a right to know how government spend his/her money.
Delivering his presentation christened ‘Tools used to demand Accountability ‘,Program Director of the Centre (PPDC),Onyekachi Chukwu introduced the participants to legislations guiding open contracting procurements.
Chukwu lectured on the provisions and how to use public procurement laws(PPL) and Access to Information Laws-(FOI ACT) in securing contracts legally.
Chukwu said open contracting can be beneficial to SMEs so as to ensure inclusively reiterating that the procurement legislations if implemented provide equal opportunity for all citizens .
According to him,with the knowledge impacted on the participants,they can push for domestication of such procurement laws in the state citing in Ekiti state example,where contracts are awarded to deserving citizens without nepotism and corruption tendencies.
A participant of the training,Maryam Usman Mairiga of the Rayna Handmade Coconut oil Venture Yola expressed gratitude to the organisers of the training for the knowledge impacted on them confessing that initially she thought government contracts are purely for men.
“I am grateful for the opportunity as I understand now that contracts are not only for men but women can also be contractors Being a contractor doesn’t mean you will carry building blocks on your head.
“We now know what procurement is and its processes,stages and laws governing it .We were exposed to contract’s bidding,planning as well as implementation stage respectively “.Mairiga recounted.
