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Tanzania has participated in the fifth East African Procurement Forum that took place in Bujumbura, Burundi. The forum was held from 5th to 7th December, 2012.

Over 200 delegates from public, private and civil organizations in the region attended this year’s forum whose theme was “Ethics and Transparency in Public Procurement”. During the three-day event, delegates from Tanzania, Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda deliberated on issues affecting public procurement in the region. The objective of the forum was to serve as a platform that would help participants learn and benchmark with each other on their respective public procurement systems including policies and enforcement measures.

In this forum, Tanzania and the other member states shared experiences of their respective countries on ethics and transparency in the management of public procurement; the contribution of civil society and the public sectors on ethics and transparency in public procurement as well as challenges of an independent regulatory authority.

Commenting on the success of this year’s forum, PPRA’s Director for Information Systems, Mr. Peter Shilla, said that the event has been very useful to participants in terms of sharing knowledge and experiences in so far as public procurement is concerned. “I was particularly impressed by the fact that all East African countries have embraced ethics and integrity in their public procurement systems,” he explained, adding that this would help member countries in ensuring that public procurement brings about positive impact to their citizenry.

The Tanzanian team included delegates from PPRA, Ministry of Finance, Public Procurement Appeals Authority, Roads Fund Board, Engineers Registration Board, Contractors Registration Board and the Tanzania Private Sector Foundation.

The next forum is planned to be held in Kampala, Uganda around November, 2013.