The
Gambia Public Procurement Authority (GPPA) on Wednesday held a daylong
sensitisation session for suppliers on the Public Procurement Act, 2014.
It
was organised in collaboration with the Gambia Investment and Export Promotion
Agency (GIEPA), with support from the European Union Technical Assistance and
held at the GTMI hall in Kanifing.
Speaking
at the forum, Lalo Danso, GPPA director of policy and operations, said the
mandate of the GPPA is to monitor and regulate procurement transactions in an
effective and efficient manner.
The
GPPA works to ensure that there is accountability and fair play in public
procurement.
According
to Mr Danso, the GPPA also works to ensure that small and medium enterprises
are encouraged to fight against corruption and malpractices.
He
said the training for suppliers is part of series of training activities the
GPPA in collaboration with GIEPA continues to organise for government officials
and the private sector.
The
one for suppliers is the 3rd of such forums, because suppliers are the main
players in procurement and as such they need to be well-informed about their
rights and obligations, Danso said.
He
explained that the EU has been supporting GPPA in creating more awareness about
the Public Procurement Act, 2014.
John
Auma, a procurement expert, said the EU’s support to the GPPA is part of its
help to the Gambia government on public procurement reform.
Njundu
Badjie, enterprise support officer at GIEPA, advised the suppliers to take the
training course seriously.
