Local leaders trained in procurement

KIGALI - Members of the 230 district internal tender committees are attending an intensive training in public procurement. The one- week course that kicked off yesterday in Kigali brings together participants from all the 30 districts countrywide. Speaking at the opening, Egide Rugamba the Director General of Planning and Monitoring & Evaluation at the Ministry of Local Government, said that the exercise aims at equipping members of tender committee with skills to use in district procurement processes. “These leaders have a big task ahead of them due to an increase in the district budget allocation this fiscal year, and this training will enable them get basic tools to deal with any difficulties that may arise,” he added. Rugamba stressed that during the third phase of decentralization, budgets were allocated to the districts and number of tenders will increase. “The training also aims at examining how and why procurement procedures are not followed in their respective institutions,” he noted. He urged the entrepreneurs to respect the contracts they enter with the tender committees. Rugamba mentioned that during the training, the leaders will discuss the new law on public procurement and challenges they face. The training is organized by the Ministry of Local Government in partnership with Germany Technical Cooperation (GIZ), Rwanda Public Procurement Authority (RPPA), Rwanda Institute of Administration and Management (RIAM), National Decentralization Implementation Secretariat (NDIS) and Rwandese Association of Local Government Authorities (RALGA)Augustus Seminega, the Director General of RPPA, called upon the trainees to use the opportunity to enhance their skills in public procurement. “The training is vital for them because they have a major role in fighting corruption at the district level, and corruption is mostly associated with procurement,” he said. David Lahl, the GIZ Technical Advisor on Decentralization, stated that effective public procurement is very crucial for good governance and sound public expenditure management at the local level. “It is also the basis for further decentralisation through financial transfers to the districts.” Leonard Muvandimwe one of the trainees said that the training will help him in acquiring skills to use during procurement process. “We usually experience the problem of technical specifications during tendering process and we hope that it will enable us do away with that challenge”. Ends