Accountability Lab Nigeria in partnership with the Centre for International Private Enterprise (CIPE) have unveiled a platform – Ethics 1st campaign – to enthrone transparency and accountability in procurement processes.
The organisations noted that government procurement has been a hotspot for corruption in Nigeria.
Country Director, Accountability Lab Nigeria, Friday Odeh stated this in Abuja yesterday at a briefing.
He said their mission is to support businesses in embracing ethical practices and upholding accountability, fairness, and equity in government procurement processes.
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Noting that the campaign had been running for two years, the director assured companies and businesses of fairness and transparency in the government procurement with the introduction of the Ethics 1st tool.
“Our target is businesses that bid for government contracts. We want to ensure accountability in the procurement process,” Odeh stated.
He said the organisation was working with Edo State government on its procurement processes.
Odeh added that it was in talks with Plateau and Ekiti states about joining the platform and opening up its procurement processes.
According to him, the target is to ensure that the procurement processes aligned with industry best practices and to provide enhanced access to global opportunities.
“We have already done work with both the Plateau and Ekiti public procurement agencies and are currently working with the Edo government. However, we are still in discussion with the Federal government,” he stated.
He said this campaign would require government contractors and vendors to commit to ethical business practices as a prerequisite for engagement.
“Abandoned projects, financial losses, and collapsed initiatives have plagued government procurement due to unscrupulous contractors and vendors.
“We want to ensure that every service is held to the highest standard of ethical business practices, accountability, and transparency,” Odeh said.
He said businesses and contractors committed to upholding accountability are encouraged to connect with Accountability Lab Nigeria and the Centre for International Private Enterprise via ethicsfirst.org.
Odeh assured that support was readily available for those who expressed interest in using the platform.
“We want every government contract to be obtained fairly and accountably without any ulterior motives,” Odeh stated.