USTDA Partners with Ethiopia to Promote Good Governance & Pursue Excellence in Public Procurement
July 28, 2015
(USTDA)
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia – Today, in tandem with President Obama’s visit to
Ethiopia, the U.S. Trade and Development Agency signed a Memorandum of
Understanding (MOU) with the Public Procurement and Property Administration
Agency (FPPA) of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia to promote
transparency and better value in the procurement of large infrastructure
projects. The MOU establishes Ethiopia as the fourth partner country under the
Agency’s Global Procurement Initiative: Understanding Best Value (GPI). Under
the partnership, USTDA will provide training to Ethiopian government officials
on how to obtain best value and incorporate life cycle cost analysis in public
procurement processes, while doing so in a fair and open manner.
“Procuring large infrastructure projects is a challenge in any country, and is
frequently impeded by focusing on lowest price over long-term value for the
government,” said USTDA Director Leocadia I. Zak, who signed the MOU alongside
FPPA Director General Tsegaye Abebe. “USTDA promotes transparency and fairness
throughout all of our GPI work as a means to ensure good governance and proper
stewardship of public funds.”
In October 2015, USTDA will hold a GPI workshop in Addis Ababa for procurement
officials from various Ethiopian ministries and departments. As a follow on, the
Agency will invite a group of senior officials to the United States in spring
2016 to share best practices and lessons learned from U.S. federal, state and
municipal procurement systems. Incorporating value into procurement processes
can assist Ethiopia in meeting the goals of its Growth and Transformation Plan,
while helping the FPPA serve as a model procurement agency in the East Africa
region.
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