The African Network for Women in Infrastructure (ANWIN), hosted its first webinar on the 23rd April 2020, focusing on PIDA PAP 2 gender criteria which forms part of the PIDA PAP 2 process for selecting regional PIDA projects. The purpose behind the webinar was to provide the PIDA Focal Points, the opportunity to ask the question and get clarity on the gender criteria.

The ANWIN Secretariat/Coordinator, Dr. Sunita Pitamber proposed six procurement-related actions that projects could utilize to score better under the “gender-responsive infrastructure planning and implementation scoring.” Hence, increasing women’s participation and opportunities in the infrastructure value chain. These action items could be considered in the early stages of project planning and preparation. The following are the proposed gender-sensitive procurement-related action items that could be considered by project owners (but not limited to):

  • Actions that support preferential procurement of women-owned SMEs or gender-certified businesses as subcontractors.
  • Capacity building of contractors and state institutions in methodologies for increasing women’s participation.
  • Training women business owners to get appropriate national certification
  • Establishing standards for bidders to demonstrate track-records about promoting gender-inclusive activities; and
  • Establishing gender-responsive monitoring and reporting systems. Benchmarking and monitoring are key in assuring that the proposed impact of this feature is achieved.

These six-procurement related action items would be assessed and scored under the gender criteria and their weight would then contribute to the ranking and selection of PIDA PAP 2 regional projects. Based on the discussions during the webinar, and the findings presented by ANWIN, there was a consensus on the importance of addressing and incorporating gender at each phase of the project cycle – specifically at the early stages.

ANWIN seeks to transform the narrative in infrastructure development, by promoting women’s participation in infrastructure at the national, regional, and global level. The network an advocate for change and strives to lobby for gender equality in earnings, which could increase human capital wealth by 21.7% globally to reach a total wealth of 14.0%.

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