Reforming public procurement and public financial management in Africa

Abstract

Purpose Country comparative studies especially in Africa on public procurement reforms toward financial control and accountability of public expenditure are limited. Meanwhile, these kinds of studies have potential for providing useful insights on how value for money through public procurement is being ensured across Africa. This paper attempts to provide this. The purpose of this paper is to highlight several policy recommendations for public management aimed at improving public procurement and public financial management (PFM) systems in Africa. Design/methodology/approach The paper adopts a qualitative case study using secondary data drawn from Global Integrity Index (GII) of the Transparency International and the World Bank’s Country Policy and Institutional Assessments databases to investigate variables that influence public procurement practices in three purposively selected African countries. The comparative approach for presenting some of the experiences of countries in public procurement methods is used in this paper. Findings The findings suggest three main variables, namely, government structure and economic variables, complicated by socio-cultural values interact to influence public procurement and PFM systems in the case study countries. Research limitations/implications Data for the GII indicators used were only available from 2013, which restricted the discussion of those indicators to a short span (2013–2015). Social implications The socio-cultural milieu within which public procurement takes place has implications for how governance structures function to deliver value-for-money public procurement. Originality/value This study adds value by comparing three countries within Africa to reveal common variables which influence public procurement and PFM systems.

Factors influencing IMF assistance in the Sub-Saharan African region

“…The primary objective of the HIPC initiative was to support countries burdened with high debt levels by helping reduce debt [ 59 ]. Limited relative studies on African public gaining reforms and financial management expose a case of the CAR and highlights the significance of financial assistance and debt relief [ 65 ]. The findings echo the importance of debt relief programmes, as proved by Africa’s prior experiences with the HIPC programme.…”

“…The variable GGNLB is significant at a 5% significance level, and a study of limited relative studies on African public gaining reforms and financial management exposes the importance of public expenditure accountability. Examining the case of CAR emphasises the importance of continuous monitoring for effective public financial management [ 65 ]. In conclusion, the findings highlight the relationship between a GGNLB and a country’s likelihood of seeking IMF assistance and highlight how critical responsible public expenditure and financial management are in influencing a country’s economy.…”

“…Under this condition, SSA countries experienced international public financial management standards with the assistance of the International Development Association, the World Bank, and the IMF, and thereby, in 2007, the Central African Republic (CAR) was accepted by the IMF as having reached HPIC status. The republic was closely administered to manage debt and control expenditure [ 65 ]. Moreover, public procurement is a crucial economic activity regarding public expenditure.…”

Investigating Ethics in Government Procurement: A Bibliometric Analysis

“…Future research should explore the effectiveness of anti-corruption measures in different government contexts and evaluate the impact of ethics reforms on the quality and efficiency of public services. (Aboelazm, 2018). Furthermore, it would be beneficial to study the relationship between organizational culture and susceptibility to corruption in public procurement.…”

Barriers to stakeholder engagement in sustainable procurement of public works

“…Other scholars assign the challenge to the nature of the procurement processes in the country (Amoah and Shakantu, 2019, Gidigah et al , 2021). Available institutional reports specify that the problem of single (sole) sourcing of public procurement hinders stakeholder engagement in the procurement process (Aboelazm, 2018). Single sourcing is a problem-ridden procurement process where a project manager secures a contract without passing through a competitive tendering, bypassing the established procurement systems.…”