The Federal Government has intensified efforts to strengthen transparency, accountability and professionalism in public procurement with the approval of seven new zonal offices for the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP). This is contained in a statement by the Head of Press and Public Relations, BPP, Zira Nagga, in Abuja on Monday June15.
Nagga said that the development was one of the highlights of the meeting between the World Bank-supported Sustainable Procurement, Environmental and Social Standards Enhancement (SPESSE) Implementation Mission and the BPP.
Nagga quoted the BPP Director-General (D-G), Dr Adebowale Adedokun, as saying that the government was also introducing sustainable procurement as a specialised area for recruitment into the procurement cadre, which includes training in the discipline at six SPESSE Centres of Excellence across the country, a move aimed at enabling graduates to contribute effectively to ongoing public sector procurement reforms.
Speaking on behalf of the World Bank, Mr Ishtiak Siddique commended the BPP for the progress recorded under the SPESSE programme, particularly in procurement certification and capacity-building efforts. He said verification exercises under the programme would commence in July. He further stressed the need to sustain momentum on procurement reforms.
The developments underscore ongoing efforts by the Federal Government, in partnership with the World Bank, to align Nigeria’s procurement system with global best practices.
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