Tanzania: Mwinyi Orders Govt Offices to Turn to E-Procurement

Zanzibar President Hussein Mwinyi has ordered all government offices to embrace and start using Electronic Procurement (e-procurement) system effective next financial year.

President Mwinyi launched the new system on a Saturday, which aims to manage public funds, improve transparency and competitiveness as well as save time during tendering process.

“This system should be applied in all government offices from the lower to the top level. It should start from municipality and administrative councils, district, regional, government agencies and institutions as well as ministries,” Dr Mwinyi emphasized.

Dr Mwinyi said in most cases, execution of government plans were hampered by bureaucracy in procurement procedures, insisting that the system would help check all such shortcomings. He said the system was ready and there should be no excuses.

He said public procurement was the government activity most vulnerable to corruption.

“Lack of transparency and accountability as well as business as usual attitude were among factors recognised as a major threat to integrity in public procurement,” said the president, adding further that such shortcomings have been discouraging bidders, investors and business people who provide services to the government.

President Mwinyi said that he was well aware of the resistance by some government officials who were against the use of the e-procurement system for their own interests.

“If there are legal drawbacks, the review process should take place. The tax and procurement reforms in the government aim to achieve transparency and efficiency. I insist that all the government institutions to use the e-procurement effective from the coming financial year,” said President Mwinyi.

He said that procurement accounted for 70 percent of the budget, but with a lot of loopholes of inappropriate use of public funds, embezzlement, cheating and corruption, and that e-procurement is an inevitable option, along with emphasis to use electric machines in issuing receipts (VFD/EFD).

Dr Mwinyi said bidders and business people should be encouraged, educated and trained to use the new system.

He said similar trainings should be extended to institutions that are in charge of supervising good governance, including Zanzibar Anti-corruption and Economic Crimes Authority (ZAECA) and Controller and Audit General (CAG).

Dr Mwinyi promised when launching the tenth House of Representative in November 2020 that the eight phase government will move towards digitalisation.

“I am happy we are on track to digitialise our country. Most of the systems are in progress, public servants and all taxpayers should support the reforms by accepting the changes that will enable us to improve essential services such as water, health, education and infrastructure,” he said.

During the event, State Ministers in the President’s Office, Finance and Planning Dr Saada Mkuya Salum and the Minister for Constitution, Legal Affairs, Public Service and Good Governance Mr Haroun Ali Suleiman, echoed the president’s directives, saying they will ‘leave-no-stone unturned’ in ensuring their subordinates and other government officials comply.

The Zanzibar e-procurement system is being installed by the Oman Data Park, Ozone international, and JAGGAER in collaboration with local Zanzibar e-government department and the ‘Zanzibar Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Assets Authority (ZPPDA).

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Oman Data Park Mr Maqbool Al Wehaibi explained at the launching ceremony that e-procurement system has been adopted by most countries around the world. He expressed his happiness to develop the system in Zanzibar.

“The e-procurement makes public procurement more strategic and serves as an effective innovation to institute procurement reforms with greater performance in terms of efficiency, transparency, competition, fairness and value for money.

This is a milestone for Zanzibar in digitalisation as about 65 per cent of the countries globally will have adopted the e-procumbent by 2023,” Al Wehaibi said.

Zanzibar e-government Director Mr Said Seif appealed to all officers in the government to embrace the digitalisation reforms and that assessment of IT officers in all government offices and assessment of networks in the government are underway, to ensure there are the right personnel in the offices.