On Thursday 17th February 2022, the Chief Executive of the National Public Procurement Authority, Ibrahim Brima Swarray delivered a Public Lecture on the topic “Assessing Supply Chain Risk Management Capabilities and the Role of Public Procurement in Enhancing Good Governance in Sierra Leone”, at Kabbah Hall, Eastern Technical University, in Kenema.
The public lecture was organised by the Students’ Union Government, Management and Staff of the Eastern Technical University.
In his brief welcome address, the Vice Chancellor of the University, Professor Mohamed Konneh welcomed the NPPA Chief and entourage to the institution and thanked him for his unflinching support to President Julius Maada Bio and the University. He noted that the development history of Kenema would be incomplete if the name Ibrahim Brima Swarray is not mentioned.
Prof. Kanneh admonished the procurement students present to be attentive to the public lecture, citing that possible assessment questions would be drawn on the aforementioned topic.
On her part, Head of Faculty of Business and Management madam Duffield, who doubles as the Chairperson of the occasion, expressed delight over the approach of the National Public Procurement Authority Chief Executive and team to ensuring that the future public procurement ambassadors are enlightened on the nation’s public procurement management, adding that the development would not only broaden the students’ knowledge but it would further increase interest of present and future students in the University. She admonished the students to inculcate the best practice of public procurement when they would have gone to the world of work.
In his PowerPoints presentation, the Chief Executive of NPPA, Ibrahim Brima Swarray, gave a historical background of public procurement in Sierra Leone starting with the composition of the Central Tender Board that was an ado body in the Ministry of Finance responsible for procuring goods, works, and services on behalf of all government Ministries, Departments, and Agencies unto the establishment of the National Public Procurement Authority in 2004 with support from the UNDP and the World Bank, among others.
He defined public procurement as the purchase by Government and State-owned enterprises of goods, services, and works.
As public procurement accounts for substantial portion of the use of the taxpayer’s money, the NPPA Chief Executive outlined the Authority’s regulatory, monitoring and advisory role to Government on public procurement to the future procurement ambassadors at the Eastern Technical University.
He maintained that the Authority is the preventive arm of corruption and had over the years delivered and fulfilled on President Bio’s promise in blocking leakages in public sector procurement management across all MDAs including the Eastern Technical University.
Mr.Swarray used the event to formally handover his Foundation’s newly erected Students’ Union villa with a label Swarrish Academic Garden including brand new DSTV, Plasma TV with six months subscription, photocopier machine, and thirteen cartons of A4 papers to the Vice Chancellor for onwards use of every Students on low cost recovery basis. The Students’ Union Government was with the responsibility of taking care of managing the facilities
Similar public lectures on the management of public procurement management were held at the Institute of Public Administration and Management (IPAM), the University of Makeni sometimes last year.
Questions, answers, and cultural engagement climaxed the occasion.
