The Government of Rwanda through Rwanda Public Procurement Authority (RPPA) is set to host the 13th East African Procurement Forum from 15th to 16th April 2021 at Kigali Convention Center.
Hosted in Rwanda for the 3rd time, the forum will be held under the theme “Strengthening Integrity and Accountability in Public Procurement for an Effective Emergency Response » where discussions will revolve around emergency such as Covid-19.
The East African Procurement Forum (EAPF) is an event which gathers Heads of public procurement regulatory bodies from East African Community (EAC) member states and other participants on annual basis.
The forum will attract around 300 participants including Government officials, public procurement industry Experts, Government suppliers/Bidders, Development Partners, members of Civil Society and procurement Training Institutions, to mention but a few, in order to discuss public procurement issues and to come up with tangible resolutions impacting legal and regulatory framework of public procurement.
This year, the forum will provide an opportunity for participants to debate and share knowledge and experience about emergency procurement during Covid-19. The forum will be facilitated by different experts in procurement from the EAC region and others who come from different countries of the World. The key target objective of the meeting is to identify the effects of emergencies on public procurement in EAC region, share experiences from COVID-19 pandemic, challenges faced, noted gaps and lessons learnt for better performance in the future.
“COVID-19 has been a catalyst for emergency procurement. The pandemic forced us to take a certain stand towards certain decisions. With the upcoming East African Procurement Forum (EAPF), we shall be able to discuss public procurement issues and experiences, and be able to come up with tangible resolutions that can positively impact our sector,” Says Uwingeneye Joyeuse, The Director general of RPPA.
The magnitude of emergencies due to the 2020 coronavirus pandemic has led to the increased demand for goods and services, limited economic activities due to restrictions on normal operations, etc. This forum will discuss the impact of emergency situations on public procurement (opportunities for the manipulation of information, conditions that encourage the improper use of public funds, etc) as of analysis of different experts.
