Tanzania – CAPACITY BUILDING

Civil society at NeST school

Members of Tanzanian civil society have been sensitized to Tanzania’s national e-procurement system (NeST), to equip them with knowledge of the features that facilitate their role in overseeing public procurement activities. The initiative is supported by the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA). NeST is a locally designed and built system. It became operational on July 1, 2023, and has already seen the upload of annual procurement plans for the 2023/24 financial year worth 23,000 billion Tanzanian shillings, as of December 19, 2023. Over 12,000 bidders have registered on the system in various sectors of activity.

The Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA) has taken the initiative to sensitize civil society organizations to Tanzania’s national e-procurement system (NeST) in order to equip them with knowledge of the features that facilitate their role in overseeing public procurement activities, reports TPJ.

PPRA Director General Eliakim Maswi told the media after the awareness session, held recently in Dar es Salaam, that the initiative included training on how to use NeST itself, followed by a wide- ranging discussion on how to improve the public procurement sector by using the system’s features to monitor activities and take appropriate action on observed issues of misconduct.

Maswi said that the Authority has demonstrated how NeST can enhance transparency and accountability by providing guidance on how to access information for monitoring and whistleblowing and stressed the need for sustained awareness-raising among stakeholders and the general public in order to make the public procurement system more widely known.

The Managing Director also noted that NeST effectively tackles corruption entry points by displaying red flags to prompt timely interventions, which he said is a proactive approach that strengthens the PPRA’s ability to safeguard public funds.

He called on participants from 31 civil society and non-governmental organizations to join the government’s efforts to combat corruption and other wrongdoing in the public procurement sector, using technology to help them in their efforts. Speaking on behalf of the participants, Fatuma Kagongo of the Global Peace Foundation commended the PPRA for involving independent auditors in efforts to promote good governance and achieve value for money.

She recognized the importance of NeST as a tool for improving transparency, accountability and value for money.

“This session was necessary and useful as it will help us to ensure that taxpayers’ money is spent effectively and efficiently,”

said Ms Kagongo.

*The NeST, a locally designed and built system that became operational on July 1, 2023, has already seen the upload of annual procurement plans for the 2023/24 financial year worth 23,000 billion Tanzanian shillings, as of December 19, 2023. Over 12,000 bidders have registered on the system in various sectors of activity.