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Institute moves to curb theft, corruption in procurement

 

Malawi Institute of Procurement and Supply (Mips), a regulatory body on procurement, has embarked on a nationwide sensitisation campaign for the mandatory registration of individuals that handle procurement issues in institutions to curb fraud and corruption.

In an interview in Mzuzu on Saturday, Mips business development officer Dorothy Chikoya said failure to abide by the law will lead to prosecution.

Chikoya: It is illegal to hire unregistered members

She said: “Malawi Institute of Procurement and Supply would like, therefore, to urge employers in all sectors of the country to ensure that all the procurement and supply chain management activities are managed by specialised personnel, registered by Mips, who by virtue of their profession, are mandated to refrain from acts of mis-procurements, corruption and theft.”

Chikoya said only those that qualify will be allowed to register or renew their registration with the institute and have their names published in highest circulating newspaper or other form of media as the institution may choose.

She said: “It is, therefore, illegal to employ or hire unregistered members to practice procurement and supply chain management functions in Malawi under the Act.”

The proposed mandatory registration of procurement professionals comes into effect following the enactment of the Malawi Institute of Procurement and Supply Act by Parliament in January last year. The law was operationalised in June the same year.

The Act demands that only registered and annually published members of Mips will be allowed to practice procurement and supply chain management in Malawi with the aim of curbing mis-procurements, corruption and theft.

Mips, with support from the African Development Bank and Malawi Government, has since developed policy documents to ensure that there is prudence in the practice.

Some of the policy documents developed are the Code of Conduct for Procurement and Supply Professionals, Knowledge and Competency Standards for Procurement Practitioners, Standards for Accreditation of Procurement and Supply Training Institutions, Qualification Accreditation and A Five Year Strategic Plan to assist in ensuring that procurement practice is evolved and add value to Malawi economy.  n

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