Maihapa Ndjavera
World Bank Acting Country Director, Asmeen Khan, believes electronic government procurement, also known as e-GP, will help Namibia fight the devastating economic impact of Covid-19.
This is because Khan is adamant that e-GP holds tremendous potential and at the same time has a positive impact on both government performance and growth.
Khan made these remarks yesterday at a e-GP workshop held in Windhoek. The workshop forms part of several government initiatives, including the development of a national e-GP system.
“The introduction of e-GP has the much-needed potential to improve transparency, efficiency and effectiveness in public procurement. This is one of the benefits to Namibia as the country is battling with economic recovery,” she said.
Transparent procurement procedures can contribute to a more efficient allocation of resources through increased competition, high quality procurement and budgetary savings for governments and thus for taxpayers.
Adding on, Khan highlighted that e-GP reduces the cost on government purchasing, increases value for money, reduces corruption, improves growth and increases tax compliance.
Also at yesterday’s workshop commencement, strategy consultant Prof Anicia Peters said the long-term goal of the electronic strategy is to promote digital procurement technologies as a vehicle to achieve value for money with integrity and sustainable outcomes for economic growth and better service delivery in Namibia.
Peters added: “The mission is promoting the principles contained in the Public Procurement Act 2015 while striving for equal participation and value for taxpayers money by leveraging information and communication technology.”
In the draft e-GP strategy, it is highlighted that improved governance is one of the key objectives, which encompasses transparent processes and accountability. In this regard, economic development is highlighted as one of the key objectives to be achieved through increased competitiveness and continuous improvement.