President kicks off Fourth SAARC Public Procurement Conference

Tuesday, 21 February 2017 00:10 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

The Fourth South Asia Region Public Procurement Conference commenced under the patronage of President Maithripala Sirisena in Colombo yesterday (20). The Conference will continue until 23 February in Colombo and Kandy.

The Conference is an annual learning, knowledge and experience sharing, and networking event for the Heads of Public Procurement Agency or Authority of the eight member countries of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC); it is a follow up on the three other Conferences held in Kathmandu, Nepal in April 2011, Islamabad, Pakistan in March 2014, and in Dhaka, Bangladesh in November 2015.

Understanding the importance of moving towards an e-procurement system the Government has decided to hold the Fourth Conference in Sri Lanka and the Conference is being hosted by the Department of Public Finance, Ministry of Finance, and is cosponsored by the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, and Islamic Development Bank.

Holding this conference in Sri Lanka will pave the way to achieve the Government’s objectives of sustainable development and making a new economic and social environment for the betterment of the country and the people.

The e-Procurement System will enable to minimise bribery and corruption and it will also make the public finance management more efficient and transparent.

Bangladesh handed over the presidency of South Asia Regional Public Procurement Conference to Sri Lanka. The former President of the Conference, Faruque Hossain handed over the presidency to Algama, Director General of the Department of Public Finance.

Minister of Finance Ravi Karunanayake, Finance Ministry Secretary R.H.S. Samaratunge, Head of the Islamic Development Bank Issa Midi lde, and the Country Director of the Asian Development Bank for Sri Lanka Sri Widowati and dignitaries also participated.