President Julius Maada Bio of Sierra Leone has received the Annual Public Procurement Compliance Assessment Reports for 2020 through 2023. These reports were presented by Mr. Fodie J. Konneh, Chief Executive Officer of the National Public Procurement Authority (NPPA), at a ceremony held at State House in Freetown.
The assessments cover procurement practices across 178 Ministries, Departments, Agencies, local councils, and government-funded projects throughout the nation. They evaluate the effectiveness and transparency of these processes and identify areas for improvement in accountability and public spending value.
CEO Konneh expressed gratitude to President Bio for facilitating this presentation, fulfilling a statutory requirement to report on the procurement system's functioning. He noted that compliance with procurement laws has improved from 40 percent in 2021 to over 60 percent in 2023, with competitive methods like open bidding seeing increased use. Despite progress, challenges such as weak recordkeeping and inadequate planning remain.
Mr. Konneh emphasized ongoing efforts to digitize procurement processes to reduce wastage and enhance transparency. President Bio thanked NPPA leadership for their work on these reports and supported digital transformation initiatives within procurement activities.
"As a government, we are focused on delivering value for money," President Bio stated. "I commend your reform efforts, especially in moving procurement activities online."
The president acknowledged NPPA's resource constraints but urged continued vigilance against corruption: "Even when some try to beat the system, your hard work must ensure that integrity prevails." He also encouraged mentoring future procurement professionals as essential to public service delivery.
This event is part of Sierra Leone's broader initiative to strengthen its public procurement systems for better state and citizen outcomes.
Alerts Sign-up