Workshop to enhance procurement practices underway in Accra
The World Bank, in collaboration with the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) Training and Consulting (GTC), has organised a training workshop to enhance sustainable public procurement practices across the African continent.
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Participants included procurement officers from Ghana, The Gambia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone and Liberia.
The five-day hands-on training will have a concurrent session for facilitators who would, in turn, disseminate the knowledge acquired to colleagues in their respective countries.
Significance
The Director of the GTC, Prof. Charles Amoatey, underscored the importance of the programme in revolutionising procurement practices.
He said there was the need for a paradigm shift in procurement strategies for which reason the workshop would focus on integrating environmental and social considerations into procurement decisions.
"In the past, we focused a lot on the economic aspect of our purchasing decisions," Prof. Amoatey said, adding that "we have neglected the impact of our decisions on the environment and also on society as a whole".
Commitment
A Senior Procurement Specialist at the World Bank, Nigeria, Barbara Ziolkowska, highlighted the organisation's commitment to advancing sustainable procurement practices across its client countries.
She described the participants as future champions of change, and, therefore, urged them to leverage the training to drive sustainable procurement initiatives within their respective project implementing units.
The World Bank's revised mission objective, Ms Ziolkowska said, emphasises poverty reduction on a livable planet, while addressing social and environmental challenges for the benefit of global populations.
She expressed gratitude to GIMPA for hosting the workshop and announced plans for a similar training session for French-speaking countries in Senegal in April, this year.
One of the trainers, Alastair Merrril, also said that "procurement is now recognised globally for its potential to deliver not only value for money but to deliver social, economic and environmental goods".
The procurement expert with over three decades of experience said there had been a transformation in public procurement in the last decade.
Participants’ perspectives
Some of the participants said they expected to gain valuable insights and strategies to drive sustainable procurement agendas in their respective countries to foster inclusive growth and environmental stewardship across the African continent.
"This initiative is long overdue," an attendee, said. "It's high time we prioritise sustainability in our procurement processes to ensure a brighter future for generations to come".
