Staff Reporter
MAUREEN Hinda-Mbuende, the deputy minister of finance and public enterprise, expressed that although there are reports of a significant increase in the value of procurement contracts, rising from N$111 million in the 2017/2018 financial year to over N$2.2 billion, it is crucial to assess the portion of this money that remains within Namibia’s economy.
Hinda made these remarks at the launch of the Central Procurement Board Namibia’s (CPBN) Integrated Strategic Business Plan that was held on Wednesday morning. The launch of the CPBN Strategic Plan coincided with the launch of a newly developed website, which serves as a potent tool aligned with the strategic objectives of enhancing Good Governance and Stakeholders Satisfaction.
According to the deputy minister, procurement contracts exceeding N$7 billion were awarded in the previous five years, with 75% of these contracts being awarded to companies fully owned by Namibians by CPBN.
The deputy minister continued that; “however, we need to interrogate the 100% ownership real business models as it is known that we have a phenomenon of packaging and repackaging and in some cases briefcase businesses. We need to measure the real economic impact or rather how much of it is exported. How much of the 5.2 billion is circulated in Namibia? The compliance audit for local procurement generally raised similar concerns. We have faith in you, live up to the expectations. You are giving us all hope!”
In her concluding statements, Hinda-Mbuende praised the CPBN and its personnel for their steadfast dedication to achieving high standards. She also highlighted that, according to stakeholders, the CPBN has shown significant improvement compared to its previous performance.
“It is also no secret nor understatement that CPBN is facing criticism for the inability to meet performance. The perception is that there are delays in the procurement process due to poor management of CPBN coupled with inefficiencies. Therefore, it is my sincere hope that the new strategic plan will assist in improving on better coordination with public entities, and continuous capacity development” She added.
