By Nafisatu Olayinka Deen
Freetown, 31st March 2026- Under the theme “Consolidating Public Procurement Reforms for Efficient Service Delivery”, the National Public Procurement Authority (NPPA) held a stakeholder consultation on the need to review the 2016 Public Procurement Act.
The Chief Executive Officer, National Public Procurement Authority, Foday Konneh, highlighted the need for the consultation, citing that dialogue is a way to strengthen the procurement system in the country.
“The purpose of today’s consultation is to provide an inclusive platform for dialogue on how to further strengthen the procurement system in Sierra Leone. The Authority recognizes that sustainable reform cannot be achieved by one institution alone. It requires the active involvement of all stakeholders, including government institutions, oversight bodies, suppliers, contractors, consultants, civil society, development partners, and the public. Your views and experiences are therefore important in shaping the direction of procurement reform,” he said.
He mentioned that a vital part of the reform process is going digital.
“An important part of this reform journey is the modernization of procurement through digital systems. The move toward electronically enabled procurement has the potential to improve transparency, reduce delays, strengthen record-keeping, and widen access to procurement opportunities. However, successful reform will depend not only on technology, but also on institutional readiness, stakeholder capacity, and sustained commitment to change,” he explained.
Keynote speaker, Dr Emmanuel Gaima, principal Executive Adviser to the president on public service and Head, Public Service Reform Unit, commended the CEO of NPPA for initiating this review process citing that it is timely.
“I commend this initiative, Under the leadership of Foday Konneh at a time when Sierra Leone is demanding stronger institutions and tighter accountability for national development,” he said.
In one of the statements, Alimamy Bangura Chief Economist, Ministry of Finance, emphasized the importance of public procurement and how the review boosts accountability.
“Public Procurement is central to public finance. This review offers the opportunity to strengthen accountability so that public confidence in systems can be enhanced. This reform should be viewed through a broader development lens and a modern procurement system will help the government,’ he said.
In the keynote address Dr Gaima advised that the review process should be approached with policy ambition and operational reality.
“We should resist the temptation to amend the law only at the margins and equally we should avoid designing a law that looks elegant on paper but difficult to implement in practice,” he stated.
He ended with encouraging the process to be frank, technical and reform-minded.
