BPP Trains 400 Officers to Boost Transparency, Efficiency

 
Mary Nnah

 
To strengthen the nation’s procurement process, the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) recently concluded its 2024 Mandatory Continuous Public Procurement Capacity Development Training Programme at the Festival Hotel, Amuwo Odofin, Lagos.
This five-week training, which included three weeks of residential training, equipped 400 public procurement officers with the necessary skills and knowledge to enhance transparency and efficiency in procurement processes.
 
Speaking at the event, the Director, Research, Training and Strategic Planning, Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) and Project Coordinator, Procurement Node, Sustainable Procurement, Environmental and Social Standards Enhancement (SPESSE), Federal Government- World Bank Financed Project,   Dr Adebowale Adedokun, said, “We are building capacity, enhancing transparency, and promoting accountability in public procurement.” 
 
“It is just like anybody who goes through primary school, or secondary school. The only way you will be able to know whether he or she has learned is to administer some exam’, he added.
 
Adedokun emphasised that the training is basic entry into procurement in Nigeria, providing participants with the basic tools to start functioning or renewing their knowledge.
“We train them for five weeks. Though they are here physically for three weeks. Two weeks was the process we started. We gave them pre-training materials and assignments for them to read, understand and submit assignments before they came down for these three weeks of training.”
 
The training covered procurement principles, processes, and ethical behaviours, ensuring officers understand the consequences of misconduct.
“We also highlight ethical behaviour.  We are saying to the 400 participants if you go wrong, this is the consequence that the law has provided for anybody who does the wrong thing”,  Adedokun noted.
 
With over 7,000 officers trained across the country, Adedokun emphasised the impact on society.
“What that means is all these people are being trained. They are expected to go back to their areas of work and bring change, improve knowledge, and correct what is not properly done.”
He added that this will speed up processes, help the government deliver on promises faster, and enhance collaboration with anti-corruption agencies.
 
Adedokun expressed optimism about Nigeria’s future, stating, “Every country that has developed, every single country that can provide roads, electricity, power, healthcare, good education system, implemented public procurement efficiently in their countries.” He emphasised that the BPP lays the foundation for deepening economic growth and sustainable development.
 
On sustainability, Adedokun explained that participants must submit reports to their organisations on learned best practices and implementation plans.
“The participants are expected to write a report to their bosses on what they have learned, what they intend to do with the knowledge gained and how they intend to improve the processes within their organisations too.”
 
Adedokun advised the graduating officers, “Go back and show your organisations that you have learned something new. Secondly, it is a reminder that when you do the wrong thing, the law will catch up with you. Thirdly, the ordinary Nigerians who are yearning for good roads, good hospitals, and power supply, will begin to see the results if they do their role by following the rules, and regulations, and helping our political leaders not to do the wrong thing.”
 
As the participants embark on their procurement journey, Adedokun’s words resonate: “Knowledge is power. A blind man cannot lead another blind man. The essence is to build people who can see.” With BPP’s commitment to empowering procurement excellence, Nigeria’s future looks brighter.
 
The training programme demonstrates BPP’s dedication to promoting transparency, accountability, and efficiency in Nigeria’s procurement processes. As Adedokun aptly put it, “We’re doing sustainability in terms of environment, improving what environment should be like labour and gender inclusiveness. In this group, we have more females than males in this training to show you that we are mindful of gender inclusiveness.”
 
As the nation moves forward, the impact of this training will be felt across various sectors. With 400 empowered procurement officers, Nigeria is one step closer to achieving its development goals.