Enact Mips Bill into law, AfDB urges

The African Development Bank (AfDB) has committed to supporting the activities of Malawi Institute of Procurement Supply (Mips) through the provision of $113 000 (K63 million) under the public financial management support framework.

AfDB country manager Andrew Mwaba, in his speech at the official opening of the 5th Annual Procurement and Supply Chain Management Conference at Sunbird Nkopola Lodge in Mangochi on Friday, said the aim of the facility is to support Mips’ efforts and actions to develop into a strong professional procurement association.

“The funds are supporting the provision of technical assistance to Mips to develop a strategic plan which will guide the direction of the organisation; development of information and communication technology capacity; awareness raising among the procurement community on the provisions of the new Mips Bill,” he said.

Mwaba said AfDB believes that Mips has a key role to play in advocating and ensuring the establishment of procurement as a recognised profession in Malawi; supporting the development of procurement capacity within the country; developing procurement standards and codes of ethics and creating a national accreditation system for the procurement profession.

He said the bank looks forward to the enactment of Mips Bill and the Public Procurement Amendment Bill, stressing that once enacted into law; they will accelerate the professionalisation and creation of the procurement cadre with requisite skills, which will create a conducive environment to achieving sustainable growth.

On their part, he said AfDB is revising its Procurement Policy to institute and refine practices that will enable the institution to obtain optimal value for money in public expenditures.

Mips president AzikiweMussa-Mbewe said their grouping has helped in bringing good governance to its peak by developing a Mips Bill which will help to ensure that procurement issues are handled by the professionals prescribed in the other legal instruments.

“The Bill has appeared on order paper in the honourable House but has not been able to be tabled. We are concerned, today you cannot just be medically treated, the medical society must recognise the practice for the benefit of the Malawian patient.

“Today accounting, legal practice, economic management, engineering and many functions are protected because of the risks they bear, what more with procurement and supply,” he queried.

The two-day conference under the theme Procurement: Key to Quick Economic Recovery attracted from local and international participants.