Senior officials from Liberia’s Public Procurement and Concessions Commission (PPCC) are currently undertaking a study tour at the Lagos State Public Procurement Agency to explore and exchange insights on the implementation of e-procurement systems.
Led by Mr. Bodger Scott Johnson, Executive Director of the Liberian commission, the six-member delegation aims to learn from Lagos State’s advancements in digitalizing procurement processes and revising procurement laws.
Welcoming the Liberian delegation, Mr. Fatai Idowu Onafowote, Director-General of the Lagos State Public Procurement Agency, expressed satisfaction at being selected as one of the destinations for the study tour. He emphasized the importance of knowledge sharing among procurement professionals for continual enhancement of procurement systems. Mr. Onafowote highlighted Lagos State’s journey towards digitalization, which began in 2019 with online registration of service providers and the onboarding of pilot ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs) onto the e-procurement platform.
Currently, 140 MDAs in Lagos State utilize six e-procurement modules, including e-Registration, e-publishing, e-Notification, e-Tendering, e-Evaluation, and e-Award. Despite challenges, the Agency remains resilient in its pursuit of full digitalization and compliance with procurement laws.
In response, Mr. Johnson commended Nigeria, particularly the Federal Government, for its support to Liberia. He expressed Liberia’s eagerness to implement an e-Government Procurement (e-GP) system and revise procurement laws with assistance from the World Bank. The study tour aims to glean insights into best practices and challenges faced in adopting such systems.
During the tour, officials from the Lagos State Public Procurement Agency conducted theoretical and practical presentations on their e-procurement system. The delegation included Mr. Nathan N. Bengu, Ms. Mauda A. Saye, Mr. Derek Amadou Hill, Mr. Dakumu D. Togbah, Mr. Emmanuel J. Morris, and accompanied by Mr. Mohammed Jalloh, a World Bank Senior Public Sector Specialist based in Sierra Leone.
