Women see a new dawn in the newly launched procurement and supply body 

DAR ES SALAAM: THEY say it is a male-created and dominated world, but does this mean women cannot flourish if given a chance to? Definitely, the answer is NOT.

Scanning around, one can recognize that things are transforming at a fast pace as women are putting on the armour to lead the hustling battle.

Go everywhere, you see them…in the mining sector, they are there, on roads, you see them behind the wheels of both heavy as well as Porsche cars not forgetting their current massive presence in the procurement industry.

In most cases, they are the ones at the helm of key institutions responsible in making essential decisions for the sake of reaching the set up targets of respective institutions.

Indeed, they (women) are not lagging in exploring numerous opportunities that come begging, and an encouraging number of them is achieving success.

In this world, good things do not just fall like manna in the desert, but rather, one has to knock on the doors to be opened and seek to find.

Recognizing how impactful women are in the society, the newly launched Women in Procurement and Supply Chain Tanzania (WIPSCT) has been described as a turning point when it comes to orchestrating the participation of women in the procurement and supply chain processes.

In her main address to the energetic and ready to learn women who congregated recently in Dar es Salaam to bless the launch of the new initiative, Impact Leadership Academy – Managing Director Ms Zuhura Muro urged women to wake up and use the inborn multitasking skills they have.

She spent a good time on the day to share with the attendees on what they ought to do for the sake of shining in the procurement field insisting that they (women) have full potential to become untouchable.

“They say the best gift one can give you in this life is the gift of knowledge because you will go with it everywhere, and nobody can take it away from you.

“Women in procurement and supply chain, the work that they will be doing is to share the knowledge and the powerful knowledge that has been shared here cannot go unnoticed.

“So, it is very important to continue to learn, to share and support each other…guided by these values, you need to invest a lot in networking.

“Indeed, we need more women in procurement space so that they can contribute in making meaningful changes at their working places and always remember that visibility is very important.

“As you know, we live in a male default world… women professionals must know that they work in a world that is designed by men for men…and in a corporate environment, you work in a place which is male default.

“It is a known fact that women must work twice or thrice than men to be noticed and the reality check to prove this is that despite women comprising 40 percent of the global chain supply force, only 17 percent hold senior leadership positions globally.

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“And in Tanzania, we have 140,000 registered professional women who have the opportunity to become leaders but only 105 of them are found in leadership positions in public and corporate space…this translates into 10 percent… why, because they are operating in a world designed by men for men,” she said.

On the way forward, she called upon women to increase their visibility, highlighting that Tanzania has got unique opportunity, even though the challenges also exist.

“Today, we have a chance to change the narrative in the sense that by introducing this initiative, the narrative has already begun to change, and our focus should not center on the challenges that have been unpacked but rather focus on the positive light that you can leverage in growing,” she urged.

Earlier, delivering an engaging speech on Governance and Compliance in Procurement, PSPTB (Procurement and Supplies Professionals and Technicians Board) Executive Director Mr Godfrey Mbanyi revealed that they will fully cooperate with WIPSCT.

“We will do what it takes to champion this initiative so that it can get the required and right backing from the Ministry of Finance, which is the guardian and patron of the entire procurement and supply chain profession in the country.

“In whatever you do, first and foremost, you have to believe in yourself that you are capable of doing it…I see potential in you, and with this new chapter, I am sure that women in the procurement space will be able to grow and reach their intended objectives,” he said.

ASNL Advisory Limited Director Mr Humphrey Simba, in his opening remarks, disclosed that WIPSCT has been specifically formed to empower women professionals and business owners in the procurement industry to achieve more in the dynamic profession.

“We talk about women in parliament, we talk about women-led businesses but we rarely talk about women in the corporate procurement space…corporates and organizations  are here and will agree with me that 75 percent of their operation spending goes to procurement and less than 10 percent goes into women-led and owned businesses.

“Most of the procurement departments are led by men…where are the women…they are somewhere there and need someone to empower them, they need someone to guide them, and they need a space.

“Just like men, they need opportunities and space, which is gender-based procurement space, and we have gender sensitive procurement…mind you, we are not favoring but rather recognizing them.

“If you look at available data, you see that the accessibility of information to women is limited, even data penetration is limited,” Mr Simba remarked.

He also appreciated tremendous support rendered by government and private sectors in making the event a success on its debut, such as IFC, PSPTB, CRDB, TANESCO, SAS Logistics Limited, and Impact Leadership Academy.

On her part, Anna Mushi from International Finance Corporation (IFC) revealed that global evidence has demonstrated that companies that engage women in their supply chains are likely to widen their market base via improving their brands plus quality of their products.

She added: “Also, women-led companies are more likely to attract big investment that is why I would like to take this opportunity to encourage my fellow women to aim high and shine in this procurement space and in your other businesses.”

In the same vein, Stanbic Bank Head of Procurement Ikunda Kishimbo shared her experience of being in a competitive procurement industry, insisting that despite the available challenges, as a woman, she keeps thriving.

“To be successful, you do not have to entertain comfort zones but rather come out and show your full potential…you have what it takes to be where you want…just keep moving regardless the ups and downs that you come across,” she encouraged.

She also gave credit to Mr Simba, once her workmate, for shaping her procurement career, saying she learned a lot from him on how to handle procurement issues with expertise.