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Public procurement expenditure went up marginally in 2006
Takoradi, April 8, Ghanadot/GNA – Ghana’s
public procurement expenditure rose from GH¢1.4 billion in
2005 to GH¢1.78 billion in 2006, Mr Agyenim Boateng Adjei,
Chief Executive Officer of the Public Procurement Authority
(PPA) said at the weekend.
Announcing this at a one day seminar organised for Higher
National Diploma Students by the Takoradi Polytechnic
Chapter of the Purchasing and Supply Students Association of
Ghana at Takoradi, he said public procurement represents
between 50-70 per cent of the national budget apart from
personnel emolument.
The seminar was under the theme: “Purchasing and Supply - A
Competitive Tool to Strategic Development”.
Mr Adjei said the procurement policy is centred on procuring
items in a fair and competitive tendering process aimed at
checking against corruption and achieving value for money.
He said public procurement plays a central role in the
delivery of all government priorities in areas such as
health, education, policing and security.
Mr Adjei said: “Public Procurement provides business
opportunities and could be used as an important instrument
of government policy to facilitate social and economic
development.
“It is a vehicle to achieve job creation, promotion of fair
labour conditions, use of local labour, and improvement of
the environment”.
Mr Adjei said majority of practitioners involved in public
procurement, lacked the requisite professional expertise and
knowledge of the law governing the practice.
He said as part of effort to address the capacity gaps,
training modules have been developed by the Public
Procurement Authority for a short-term training.
Mr Adjei said many local small and medium scale enterprises
does not participate in public procurement because of the
perception that government was a slow payer, difficult to
work with and had its own favoured suppliers for contract
awards.
He said local suppliers, contractors, architects and
engineers lacked adequate capacity to participate in tenders
advertised internationally and locally, particularly when
values were big.
Mr Alexander Akrofi, Chairman of the Chartered Institute of
Purchasing and Supply (CIPS), Ghana, said HND qualification
in Purchasing and Supply could not be equated with a first
degree at the Universities.
He said HND in Purchasing and Supply is a professional
qualification, whilst a first degree is an academic
qualification.
Mr Akrofi said CIPS recognised HND in Purchasing and Supply
in addition to it being accredited by the National
Accreditation Board.
He said the enactment of the Procurement Act showed
government’s recognition that professionals have to run the
economy.
Mr Akrofi said the CIPS was working with government to
establish career path for procurement professionals in the
public and civil services.
GNA
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