Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has urged professionals and key stakeholders to actively champion the development of robust and transparent procurement systems across Nigeria.
The Governor made this call during a courtesy visit by executives from the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply (CIPS), including Global Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Ben Farrell, and the Institute's Regional Director for Africa, Middle East, and Asia-Pacific, Mr. Sam Achampong.
Lagos State's Commitment to Procurement Excellence
During the meeting, Governor Sanwo-Olu highlighted Lagos State's pioneering role in establishing structured procurement frameworks in Nigeria. "For us, especially in Lagos State, we have been a strong advocate and a convert of a well-coordinated, transparent procurement process. We pride ourselves that we are one of the first governments and bodies to have institutionalised and started a public procurement process," he stated.
The Governor reflected on his involvement in the state's procurement journey, noting: "I was privileged to be in government 15 years ago when the conversation started, and we were quick to set up relevant agencies. But over time, one of the things we realised is that we need to also continue to spread out competency. We need to continue to ensure that capacity is deepened and is enriched."
Sanwo-Olu emphasized the practical benefits of robust procurement systems, explaining that they help in anticipation and negotiation processes, ultimately leading to better governance outcomes.
CIPS Commits to Supporting Nigeria
In response, CIPS Global CEO Ben Farrell expressed the institute's commitment to partnering with Nigeria to enhance professional standards in procurement across both public and private sectors.
"We have members in 180 countries, and we share competency, best practice, and build capacity around nations. We are here to support you for the prosperity of Nigeria, to build on the great work of the team in recent years," Farrell stated.
The CIPS executive announced plans to establish a permanent presence in Nigeria to provide long-term capacity-building initiatives. "We came to say that we are going to establish a permanent presence here to work with the Nigerian public and private sector to provide capacity building to drive competence for the benefit and the prosperity of Nigeria. We feel that spreading the knowledge and the competency will really benefit this nation," he added.
The collaboration aims to strengthen Nigeria's procurement systems through knowledge sharing, professional development, and the implementation of global best practices.
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