Public procurement: Professionalizing national expertise for good governance

Upskilling experts is now at the heart of public procurement reform. By launching a joint training program on public procurement and public-private partnerships (PPPs), the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (ARCOP) and the National Order of Experts of Senegal (ONES) are demonstrating their commitment to making national expertise a lever for transparency and performance in public action.

On Thursday, July 9, a joint training program dedicated to public procurement and public-private partnerships (PPPs) was launched. The workshop marks the first step in implementing the partnership agreement signed on April 10, 2026, between the two institutions. This cooperation aims to sustainably strengthen the capacities of national experts in strategic areas such as training, auditing, research, and the promotion of best practices in public procurement.

“Public procurement is one of the main levers of economic and social development in Senegal. The resources it mobilizes must be managed with rigor, transparency, efficiency and responsibility,” said the President of ONES, Dr. Saliou Dièye.

According to him, "ONES experts have recognized skills in auditing, finance, taxation, governance, control, evaluation and risk management. This training will allow them to broaden their field of expertise in order to effectively support administrations, local authorities, public institutions and companies."

For his part, the Director General of ARCOP, Dr. Moustapha Djitté, welcomed a partnership he considers strategic for improving the quality of public spending. According to him, the complementary skills of the two institutions will contribute to building a public procurement system based more on competence, transparency, and efficiency.

The inaugural workshop addressed several major themes, including the comparison between national procedures and those of donors, the mobilization of national expertise in the execution of public projects, the role of experts in structuring PPP projects, and the challenges related to the performance of public procurement.

The two partners also announced a comprehensive training program to be delivered at the Institute for Public Procurement Regulation (IRCOP). Several specialized seminars are planned, focusing in particular on public procurement audits, public-private partnerships, sustainable public procurement, and the digitalization of procedures.