Adwoa Safo (2nd left) during one of the sessions
Government says it’s developing a well cut-out strategy to discourage stealing through procurement.
Minister of State in-charge of Public Procurement, Sarah Adwoa Safo, made this known over the weekend at the IMF/World Bank spring meetings to discuss opportunities the new bank procurement framework offers to international businesses and innovative development results.
The event was themed: ‘Innovations in Competitive Procurement: How the World Bank’s New Procurement Framework Balances Development Needs with Market Opportunity.’
It was to show how the World Bank’s new procurement framework had created an enabling environment for businesses.
Ms Safo, who is also the Deputy Majority Leader in Parliament, indicated that the new innovations that the World Bank was seeking to introduce was in line well with what her ministry was doing.
According to her, the Ministry of Public Procurement was established to develop and formulate procurement policies that were aligned to the vision of the President to enable him achieve his targeted goals.
In Ghana, about 65% of the state revenue goes into procurement which means that a large chunk of the country’s revenue goes into procurement, making it a veritable arena for corruption, she said.
She commended the World Bank for introducing a new procurement framework, stressing that transparency and the use of the right methods were some of the priority areas the government was focusing on in order to achieve value for money.
The event, moderated by Tanya Beckett, an International Journalist, brought together senior representatives of international businesses, chambers of commerce, client governments and World Bank Senior management.
In July 2016, the World Bank launched a new Procurement Framework, which maximizes the strategic role of procurement in achieving development goals.
Ms Safo was joined by other panelists, including Manuel Ferro, Vice-President, Operations Policy and Country Services, The World Bank; Enzo De Laurentiis, Chief Procurement Officer, Standards, Procurement, and Financial Management, Operations Policy and Country Services, The World Bank; Urika Modéer, State Secretary to the Minister for International Development Cooperation and Climate, Government of Sweden; Roger Fiszelson, Advisor, MEDEF Business Confederation and Confederation of International Contractors’ Association, France and Gary Litman, Vice-President for Global Initiatives, U. S. Chamber of Commerce.