At a press conference to brief the media about the event
The African Public Procurement Network (APPN)’s fourth General Assembly, begins in the Rwandan capital of Kigali, and it promises to be a seminal meeting.
Hosted by Rwanda, the meeting brings together procurement experts from almost every African nation, who will be joined by representatives from multilateral organisations, and other experts in procurement from around the world.
Under the theme, Enhancing Sustainable Public Procurement for Africa’s Economic Resilience, the Geneneral Assembly, will also address procurement challenges from across the African continent.
Discussions will centre around strategies to reduce dependency on imports, strengthening local supply chains, introducing new technologies, and advance environmentally aware procuremedesperate-tactics-as-defence-in-genocide-case-pins-hopes-on-wrongs-anti-rwanda-diatribesnt.
“The APPN’s fourth General Assembly not just an event” said Rwanda’s Director-General of the country’s public procurement authority, Joyeuse Uwingeneye, “it’s a call to action for Africa’s leaders to rethink and reshape procurement policies that align with our collective goals of economic resilience, environmental sustainability, and inclusive growth. Our discussions here in Kigali will chart a path for procurement systems that support Africa’s aspirations in the global economy.”
And Rwanda is setting the benchmark high. The country Uwingeneye said, will aim for a procurement that “causes zero harm to the environment.” Alongside the main theme, is an expressed plan to make Rwanda a “a regional centre of excellence for public procurement.”
Panel discussions will include, building local economies, by reducing dependence on imports, green and ethical procurement, and using technology for greater transparency and efficiency, how Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools, data analytics can be used to enhance procurement transparency, track sustainability and improve decision making.
The meeting will see the launch of Rwanda’s Sustainable Public Procurement Policy Framework. Developed with the support of APPN, the framework will establish Africa’s first Open Contracting Data Standards for transparent e-government procurement (E-GP). The pioneering policy puts Rwanda at the forefront of procurement modernisation, and is expected to provide a model for other nations.
With Public procurement accounting for 17% of Africa’s GDP, the continent’s economies face an urgent task to reform procurement polices and practice, to ensure sustainability, and economic self sufficiency.
The APPN was formally established in 2018, in the Togolese capital of Lome, when fourty-three African nations, signed articles of association. It is the largest formal public procurement network in the world, and now attracts not only African procurement experts, but their colleagues from around the world.
The main purpose of the network, is to provide a platform for learning and networking, for public procurement policy makers, regulators and practitioners from member countries, where participants share best practice.
Among the sponsors of the General Assembly, are the World Bank, the African Development Bank, the Islamic Development Bank, and Agence Francaise de Development.
Participants will tackle a number of topics, including Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in procurement, sectoral innovation, and adoption of digital frameworks, at the end of which will be recommendations for implementation.
There is public participation online, on social media using #APPNFGA2024, or visit www.appn-fga2024.rw.
