The National Public Procurement Authority (NPPA) in its vision to ensure full compliance by all procuring entities, suppliers, contractors, and other relevant parties in public procurement in Sierra Leone, on Friday, 4th June, 2021, officially commissioned the first historical and befitting regional office at 97 Hangha Road in Kenema.
The office is established after 17 years of the enactment of the Public Procurement Act in 2004 as amended in 2016 and serves as the newest decentralization drive of the New Direction Government of President Julius Maada Bio in the Eastern Region.
The event was graced by the Paramount Chief of Nongowa Chiefdom, PC Kapuwa, Mayor of Kenema City Council, Kenema District Council Chairman, Kailahun and Kono District Council Chairmen, Procurement practitioners across the three Districts, Civil Society Organizations and the Media.
In his overview address, the Chairman Board of Authority, Mr. Albert H. Kandeh reemphasized that the occasion was historic and a milestone for procurement practitioners in Sierra Leone. He recalled that some two years ago, the Authority promised the Eastern Region of opening a procurement office that would serve Kenema, Kailahun and Kono Districts.
He stressed that when the Chief Executive of NPPA speaks he delivers and that the 3Ks were enjoying the fulfillment of a promise made on June 26th, 2019 at the official launch of the South East office in Bo.
He maintained that procurement reforms started since 2002 immediately after the 11 years Civil War in the country. “The then SLPP government of the late President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah and the World Bank deemed it necessary to fix the expenditure control arm of government.
“At that time I had just returned to Sierra Leone from the United States and I was called upon to commence the procurement reform processes under the watch of the then late Vice President, Mr. Solomon Berewa”, he noted.
He explained that the process started with the setting up of a Procurement steering committee which he said enthusiastically succeeded and tabled the processes and procedures governing public procurement in the country to Parliament.
The rules he maintained were verified and approved by the House of Parliament in 2004 as amended in 2016. “The National Public Procurement Authority is an expenditure control arm of government, fully monitoring, regulating, providing capacity building to MDAs and advice Government on all procurement related issuesโ.
The Chief Executive of the National Public Procurement Authority, Ibrahim Brima Swarray, said that the structure itself is among other facilities set in place to strategically decentralize public procurement processes countrywide, enhance compliance making sure procurement managers within the region work within the legal framework of the law.
He outlined that the Authority’s mandate further overreaches out to the three administrative districts in Kenema, Kono and Kailahun with rigid monitoring and supervision of all procurement related programmes in ensuring full compliance with the law as a strategic aspect of public accountability and transparency in the utilization of public funds.
Mr. Swarray explained that when he assumed office in 2018 the authority was grossly understaffed with only 17 staff, with very weak structures solely centralized in Freetown and Makeni, which are now things of the past.
Chief Executive Swarray explained that within his three years diligent service, the authority has transformed the institution into an impressive working environment with increased multifaceted manpower professionals and experts who are now effectively delivering on the mandates of NPPA across the country to the admiration of sister agencies and donor partners.
He said as part of fruitful drives towards injecting innovations at the authority and in public procurement in particular, NPPA is now at an advanced stage of the implementation of the Electronic Government Procurement (e-GP).
The e-GP he assured when fully implemented will enhance transparency, accountability, fairness, accuracy in reporting, security of bids, streamlined government process, maximized time and energy of all parties involved in public procurement as opposed to the obsolete manual system.
In his keynote, the Secretary to the President, Dr. Julius Fofanah Sandy, expressed his delight over the milestone achievements of the National Public Procurement Authority led by Chief Executive Ibrahim Brima Swarray, noting the relevance public procurement plays to every government agency.
He delivered warm greetings from His Excellency the President Dr. Julius Maada Bio who ordered him to grace the history-making event. The polyvalent and long serving Civil Servant maintained that the establishment of the first Eastern Headquarters procurement office is an event every patriotic and nationalistic individual should embrace, noting his delight to serve as a keynote speaker and applauded the Board of Authority, Management and Staff for undertaking the worthy project and the consideration of Kenema and Eastern Region worthy to having a procurement Office. “I am told that NPPA has offices in Makeni (Northern Region) and Bo (Southern Region).
Several people made significant contributions to make the program successful.
