Policy Perspectives on Engendering Public Procurement in Africa: The Case of Rwanda and South Africa

Using the vulnerability framework that argues for the holistic assessment of the responsiveness of government institutions and processes, this chapter examines the policies aimed at engendering public procurement in Rwanda and South Africa. Literature on public procurement places the onus on government to make use of procurement to achieve the internal needs for works, goods, and services while addressing the strategic goals of public policy. In Africa, research on public procurement ranges from issues pertaining to specific sectors such as infrastructure, the overall government experience of procurement, and the challenges of public procurement reform. Engendering related policies recognizes the need to address gaps that discriminate and marginalize women from participating fully in public procurement. It is important that the values for equity, transparency, and efficiency continue to be upheld within public procurement in a continent where the state still plays a dominant role as employer and more importantly as purchaser of works, goods, and services. The chapter utilizes a qualitative analytic lens to explore gender equality in public procurement practices in South Africa and Rwanda. It compiles information from literature review on concepts such as gender, gender equality, public procurement, and e-procurement. A review of national legislative frameworks, policy documents, strategies, and country-specific scholarly contributions on gender and procurement processes are the basis for the analysis.