14th May 2026, Freetown — The Chief Executive Officer of the National Public Procurement Authority (NPPA), Mr. Fodie J. Konneh (MCIPS), has delivered a keynote address at a high-level seminar on Procurement and Supply in Practice and Digital Procurement organized by the Procurement Department of the Institute of Public Administration and Management (IPAM), University of Sierra Leone.
The two-day seminar brought together students, lecturers, procurement practitioners, ICT experts, and public sector professionals to discuss emerging trends, innovations, and best practices in procurement and supply chain management, with particular focus on digital procurement systems and procurement planning.
In his keynote address, Mr. Konneh described procurement as a strategic tool for national development, transparency, accountability, and effective service delivery. He emphasized the critical role procurement professionals play in ensuring value for money and maintaining public trust in government expenditure.
He noted that public procurement in Sierra Leone accounts for a significant portion of public expenditure and stressed the need for professionalism, integrity, and continuous capacity building within the sector.
Speaking on the future of procurement, the NPPA CEO underscored the importance of digital transformation in public procurement systems. He disclosed that the Government of Sierra Leone, through the NPPA and with support from development partners, is advancing the implementation of the Electronic Government Procurement (e-GP) system to modernize procurement operations, improve transparency, and reduce opportunities for corruption.
“Digital procurement is no longer optional; it is a necessity,” Mr. Konneh stated, while encouraging students and procurement professionals to equip themselves with both theoretical knowledge and practical digital competencies to remain relevant in the evolving procurement landscape.
He further commended IPAM for organizing the seminar and for creating a platform that bridges the gap between academic learning and professional practice.
As part of the seminar, the Director of Planning, Policy, and Research at NPPA, Mr. Alie Badara Sheriff, delivered a presentation on Preparation of Procurement Planning, where he highlighted procurement planning as the foundation of an efficient and transparent procurement process.
Mr. Sheriff explained the legal and institutional framework guiding procurement planning in Sierra Leone and emphasized that proper procurement planning promotes value for money, transparency, accountability, timely service delivery, and budget implementation efficiency. His presentation also outlined key stages in procurement planning, including needs identification, market analysis, cost estimation, procurement scheduling, risk assessment, and procurement method selection.
The seminar also featured a presentation by the Director of ICT/e-GP at NPPA, Dr. Mohamed Babah Turay, on EGP Technical Architecture, Systems Integration and Digital Tools.
Dr. Turay highlighted the operational implementation of Sierra Leone’s Electronic Government Procurement (e-GP) system and explained how digital technologies are transforming procurement processes across Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs). He stated that the e-GP platform is designed to improve transparency, accountability, efficiency, compliance, and real-time oversight of procurement activities.
His presentation further explored the technical architecture of the e-GP system, including systems integration, digital tools ecosystems, security frameworks, interoperability, data management, and governance structures required to sustain a modern digital procurement environment.
Participants at the seminar engaged in interactive discussions on procurement reforms, digital transformation, procurement planning, transparency, and the future of procurement practice in Sierra Leone.
The seminar forms part of ongoing efforts to strengthen procurement education, professional development, and institutional capacity building within Sierra Leone’s public procurement sector.
For more on this or any other issues relating to NPPA, please contact us on: info@nppa.gov.sl
