Public Contracts: New Measure To Stamp Out Corruption

By Yaboa  MUNTEH, Cameroon Tribune

KOICA  presented the e-Procurement System to the public in Douala recently.

Stamping out corruption and enhancing transparency, improving the efficiency of public procurement, reinforcing national competition and upgrading the Ministry of Public Contract’s status through the digitalisation of administrative management,

are some of the benefits the Cameroon government and public contract stakeholders will enjoy through the e-procurement system.

Using the e-procurement system in other words is a shift from paperwork to clicking on the computer for a contract to be awarded. The system consists in e-bidding, supplier performance management and statistic management systems, among others. Around to explain to users during the workshop to present the new electronic system, was KOICA’s (Korean International Cooperation Agency) Resident Representative, Kim Tae Young, who expressed his country’s commitment to share experience with Cameroon. “Korea has one of the most comprehensive and highly performant e-procurement systems in the world. We are strongly committed to sharing the rich experience with Cameroon,” he declared.

Kim Tae Young said the system will facilitate work in public offices, private companies and among service providers to carry out public contract-related activities online, which will contribute to the country’s emergence by 2035. Fru Jonathan, who represented the Minister Delegate at the Presidency in charge of Public Contracts, spoke of the advantages of the project. He mentioned that since there will be no direct contact between businessmen and workers in the office, corruption will make way for transparency to reign. Worth 1,700,000 USD (approximately FCFA 974 million), and initiated in 2013 as a grant from the Korean Government, the project is spearheaded by KOICA in collaboration with the Ministry of Public Contracts and the Project Management Consultant (Soft I Tech).