Political interference and limited transparency have been identified as factors hampering value and development-driven procurement processes in government circles in the country.
The Deputy Programs Manager, Samuel Akande, of a non-governmental organization, the Public and Private Development Centre (PPDC), disclosed this in Awka during a stakeholders’ meeting on Strengthening Citizens and Vulnerable Group Engagement for Inclusive Governance.
The centre organized the event in collaboration with the Creative Minds Centre for Youth and Community Development (CM-CYCD).
It was attended by participants from various communities, government officials, civil society activists, and media professionals. It was targeted at enhancing citizens’ skills in project monitoring and community-based engagement to engender active citizens’ participation in governance processes at the local government level.
Akende described accountability as the most important ingredient in procurement, which remains the backbone of good governance.
According to him, accountability is crucial in preventing corruption, improving efficiency, and building public trust in a governance system.
“To hold procurement processes accountable, citizens especially those of us here must be familiar with digital platforms and the government must have relevant data, which help us to play this civic role very well,” he stressed.
In a welcome address, the Executive Director of Creative Minds Centre for Youth and Community Development, Ugochi Freeman, stressed the importance of citizens’ participation in community governance, which she described as crucial for ensuring that government projects and programs align with the people’s needs and priorities.
She said when citizens actively engage in procurement processes, their monitoring and tracking efforts bring about transparency, prevent corruption, and promote value for public resources.
Citizens she said, cannot continue to wail over bad governance and poor procurement system, while they allow those in government to do as they like.
Another facilitator, Mrs Precious Adigwe, who spoke on “Gender Responsive Procurement and Community Engagement, advocated for equity and fair representation of women and other vulnerable groups in the public procurement and governance processes.
“We want an increase in the participation of women and minority groups in business to enhance equitable supplier selection and contractor. That equity is very important because procurement decisions affect men, women and other vulnerable groups”.
“Gender-responsive procurement is beneficial in boosting local economy and creating employment opportunities. It enhances reputation and compliance with diversity standards. It reduces the gender gap in economic participation and opportunity,” Adigwe said.
In her presentation on ‘Maximizing Digital Tools for Accountability,’ Dedeye Ebri urged participants to leverage the power of social media and other digital tools to hold institutions and government officials accountable for key projects and policies.
In another presentation, Jonathan Ebe encouraged civic space players and community members to use the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act to access relevant information for effective, result-oriented project monitoring.