PPRA rebrands

• VP pinpoints PPRA as key player in transformation process
• Urges the Nation to hold PPRA accountable without failure
• PPRA upbeat strategy will deliver efficiency in procurement

BAKANG TIRO

editors@thepatriot.co.bw

The Vice President and Minister of Finance Ndaba Gaolathe has said the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA) is the cornerstone of Botswana’s economic future.

He was officiating at the launch of PPRA’s 2024-2028 strategic plan and new brand identity on Tuesday in Gaborone. He hailed the 2024–2028 Strategic Plan as bold in its vision and rigorous in its logic.

He noted that at its core lies a powerful proposition: “Doing Things Right. “Not just doing things, but doing them right, the first time, every time. The strategic plan’s core goal is to establish a “sustainable and inclusive public procurement system.”

Gaolathe said there is a need for a system anchored in transparency, equity, fairness, service excellence, innovation and high impact and a system where compliance is not an aspiration but a minimum requirement.

According to Gaolathe, PPRA has set an ambitious target to achieve 100% compliance with the public procurement law by all procuring entities, procurement practitioners, and contractors by the year 2028.

“That is the kind of resolve we need. I commend this clarity of ambition. In the absence of high standards, mediocrity becomes the norm. Not anymore,” he said.

Gaolathe emphasized that the Strategic Plan is not merely a declaration of intent but a promise to the people of Botswana. He encouraged the public to hold PPRA accountable because when procurement fails, it is the people – especially the children waiting for textbooks and the patients needing medicine – who suffer.

Through this strategic plan, Gaolathe said PPRA pledges to deliver: an efficient and effective tendering process, ;professionalisation of public procurement; robust compliance and enforcement; strategic partnerships; and improved stakeholder satisfaction.

Meanwhile, PPRA Chief Executive Officer Tumelo Motsumi said the new strategic plan would improve efficiency and transparency in the public procurement system and aid PPRA to be very agile.

She said PPRA is undergoing transformation phase and with the support of the government it would meet its intended outcomes in execution of its public procurement mandate. According to Motsumi, PPRA is committed to ensuring that there is compliance in the award of tenders in the public procurement, adding that there is a need for prudent use of resources in public procurement.