The Lagos State government has pledged to continue to offer necessary support and assistance to the government of The Gambia to enable it successfully migrate from the manual procurement to e-procurement system.
The Lagos State Commissioner for Finance, Dr Rabiu Onaolapo Olowo, made the pledge on Tuesday while addressing a delegation of the Gambian Fiscal Management Development Project, who were on a study visit to the Lagos State Public Procurement Agency.
Olowo, who is also the Chairman of the Governing Board of the Lagos State Public Procurement Agency, commended the Gambian delegation for taking the initiative of embarking on the study tour to Nigeria, particularly Lagos to exchange ideas on how they could enhance the public procurement system in their country, using technology.
The Commissioner noted that public procurement system is a panacea for dealing with many problems associated with governance, adding that through effective public procurement system, the integrity of the state government has been greatly enhanced.
The Commissioner for Science and Technology in the State, Mr Hakeem Fahm, urged the Gambian delegation to choose the right technology that would suit the peculiar environment and needs of their country.
He explained that deployment of technology in driving public procurement has enormous benefits, including enhancing transparency, cost efficiency and increased productivity among others.
The director-general of the Gambian Public Procurement Authority, Phodey Jaiteh, who led the 20-man delegation from The Gambia, commended the Lagos State Public Procurement and the State Government for their support and for making their four-day study tour to Lagos memorable.
He expressed delight that the public procurement system of Lagos State is well digitalised and rich in data that could assist in policy planning and management. He promised that the Gambian government would make use of the knowledge gained to improve the procurement system of the country.
