Addis Ababa, October 18, 2021 — Over 50 technical staff from 16 Regional TVET Centers of Excellence of the World Bank financed East Africa Skills for Transformation and Regional Integration Project (EASTRIP) are in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia for a training in procurement under World Bank financed projects.
World Bank financing is usually used to fund eligible expenditure for the procurement of goods, works, non-consulting and consulting services. Good understanding of procurement procedures and regulations is key to a project’s implementation success. TVET staff will refresh their knowledge in invitation of offers for bids , evaluation, award contract, negotiations and contract management. The training, that will be conducted from October 18th to 29th is convened by the Inter-University Council for East Africa (IUCEA) which is the Regional Facilitation Unit for EASTRIP. It is being facilitated by ESAMI.
“We have reached a critical stage where major procurements are going to take place. We need to be on top of our game,” said Dr. Joseph Cosam, the Project Coordinator for EASTRIP at IUCEA. “The training will update your knowledge in World Bank procurement procedures, you will share experiences, ask questions and engage.” He added, “The training will also provide an avenue for further networking after here when you are back at your workstations as you can continue to share strategies to counter procurement challenges and good practices.”
The operational training in World Bank procurement, financial management and disbursement procedures equips project staff with the knowledge to effectively implement projects. It also enhances regional collaborative capacity in TVET and overall project coordination.
“The objective of this Capacity Building is for the procurement teams to reflect, share and learn from fellow participants and act as a Procurement Clinic to share and solve procurement challenges at respective RFTIs for the second part of the Project,” said Mr. Christopher Kakooza, Procurement Officer at IUCEA in charge of EASTRIP.
The objective of EASTRIP is to increase the access and improve the quality of TVET programs in selected Regional Flagship TVET institutions and to support Regional Integration. The project has four priority areas – Transport, Energy, Manufacturing and ICT. It is implemented in the three East African countries of Ethiopia, Kenya and Tanzania.
