Ghana’s e-Procurement System to save $100m, 2% GDP annually—W’Bank
The World Bank’s Resident Director in Ghana, Mr Henry Kerali, has revealed that the takeoff of e-Procurement System will not only return about $100m to the economy yearly, but an equivalent of two percent of Ghana’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) every year.
He said the country’s evolution to digital economy and implementation of the e-procurement scheme remains a strategic progress worthy of emulation by other sub-Saharan economies that have been suffering issues of fairness, transparency and efficiency in the public sector and jumping transaction costs for service providers.
Business Hilights Ghana Bureau chief recalls that World Bank had signed a $97m financing deal with Ghana in 2014 for the implementation of the e-Transform Procurement scheme.
A statement issued by Ghana News Agency quoted Kerali in an address at the launch of the Ghana Electronic Procurement System (GHANEPS) in Accra as noting that “e-Procurement System would enhance productivity since electronic presentation of records or submission of tenders would eliminate manual work and reduce cost”.
While re-affirming World Bank’s commitment to supporting Ghana’s vision of achieving the ‘Ghana Beyond Aid’ agenda, Kerali averred that the Bank would continue to provide technical support towards the full implementation of the system to improve the ease of doing business.
Earlier in her address, Ghanaian Minister of Communications, Mrs. Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, noted that the e-Procurement system would ensure transparency and reduce corruption in the country.
According to him, “Online government procurement increases transparency and hold government more accountable in spending the taxpayers’ money in addition to the reduction of potential fraud and corruption”.
She added that her Ministry is already working with the Ministries, Departments and Agencies to champion the digitisation agenda in order to catch up with the world, adding that her outfit was working with the Ghana Immigration Service to roll-out an e-immigration system for border control, visa on arrival and other immigration services.
