Procurement contracts worth over N$7 billion awarded in the past 5 years
Procurement contracts worth over N$7 billion have been awarded in the past 5 years, an official revealed on Wednesday.
The Central Procurement Board of Namibia’s (CPBN) performance has improved significantly since its inception in 2017, the Deputy Minister of Finance and Public Enterprises, Maureen Hinda-Mbuende said on the occasion of the launch of the CPBN Integrated Strategic Business Plan and newly developed website.
“This is evident in the drastic increase in the number of procurement contracts awarded from only one procurement contract awarded during its first financial year (2017/2018) compared to the award of 21 procurement contracts during the 2022/2023 financial year,” she said.
According to Hinda-Mbuende, the CPBN plays a very crucial role in the Namibian economy and the attainment of national developmental goals of the government, particularly economic growth and the reduction of unemployment.
“I am happy to learn that 75% of procurement contracts awarded by CPBN were awarded to 100% Namibian-owned entities in the past five years. However, we need to interrogate the 100% ownership real business models as it is known that we have the phenomenon of packaging and repackaging and in some cases briefcase businesses,” she said, adding that they need to measure real economic impact or how much of it is exported.
CPBN acting chairperson and administrative head, Amon Ngavetene meanwhile said the resultant effect of procurement should lead to industrialization, manufacturing, employment creation, and empowerment.
