BUJUMBURA December 10th (ABP) – The Public Procurement Regulatory Authority of Burundi (ARMP), organized, Monday, November 4, 2023, in Bujumbura, the activities of the 15th edition of the Public Procurement Forum of the countries of the East African Public Procurement Forum, under the theme “Improving public procurement by measuring performance.” That forum brought together different participants and professionals from the field of public procurement, regulators, training institutes and implementers of public procurement systems from EAC member countries, but also experts from Senegal, Zimbabwe, of Ethiopia, etc.
The Minister of Finance, Budget and Economic Planning, Audace Niyonzima, who opened that forum, in his speech, indicated that that meeting comes at a time when Burundi is strongly engaged in public finance reforms, in particular the consolidation of public finance management. He also noted that the government has implemented a digitalization strategy for all state services in general. According to him, the theme chosen for that forum undoubtedly reflects the main channel for executing public finances.
“Expectations from that forum are of paramount importance, he noted, adding that best practices are expected from him and the formulation of recommendations on which we must rely to clean up that area.”
For his part, Jean Claude Nduwimana, Director General of the Public Procurement Regulation Agency, indicated that the objective of that forum is to exchange knowledge and experience with peers from the EAC, who are advanced in the field of public procurement and to copy the good practices that have helped them succeed in the public procurement system.
He also indicated that there are gaps in Burundi in the public procurement system, particularly in the procedures, in the processing of files, but also at the level of the contracting authorities where they are conflicts of interest, influence peddling without forgetting corruption, slowness…
It is for that reason that that forum was organized to draw inspiration from other successful models, in order to be able to improve the public procurement system, he stressed.
The African continent needs more than ever to strengthen economic governance practices, which constitute one of the fundamental pillars of development. He also indicated that public contracts concern the purchase of goods, services and the carrying out of work by a public authority such as a national administration, a local authority or the organizations which depend on it. They represent a significant part of the gross domestic product (GDP) and an essential factor in the development of a country, he explained.
Mr. Nduwimana also believes that good management of public markets makes it possible to make savings on State expenditure, to contribute effectively to the fight against poverty and the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). “A well-designed public procurement system could contribute to achieving the development objectives and emergence envisaged for 2040-2060,” he demonstrated.
