Cameroon receives online E-procurement system for public contracts

The Korea International Cooperation Agency, KOICA, has officially handed Cameroon Online E-procurement System, COLEPS, to government in a ceremony in Yaounde on May 21, 2015, chaired by the Minister Delegate at the Presidency in charge of Public Contracts, MINMAP, Abba Sadou. The Public Contracts boss in the company of Cabinet Ministers, Issa Tchiroma Bakary for Communication, Emmanuel Nganou Djoumessi for Economy, Planning and Regional Development and Catherine Abena Ondoua for Women’s Empowerment and the Family alongside the Korean Ambassador to Cameroon, Lim Jae-Hoon, said accelerating the process to sharpen the skills of more stakeholders in the public contracts award chain was imminent as the project takes effect from January 1, 2016.

A new era for procurement related activities in Cameroon is born, with efforts to share experiences and advanced technology from Korea gradually paying off, notes Lim Jae-Hoon. The Korean diplomat recalled the goodness of COLEPS, emphasising that it “will enable public administration, private companies and service providers to perform public contracts related activities online. It said it will hence contribute to ensuring and enhancing transparency, accountability and effectiveness in the management of State resources.

Korean experts recommend an extension of services, sensitisation of public contracts award chain and the deeper appropriation of E-procurement for the country to have a complete and world class E-procurement system. COLEPS when it goes operational on January 1, 2016 will have, State’s annual project’s logbook, bids announcement, tendering of bids as well as results of bids published online. This, experts say, will reduce administrative cost and improve on the effectiveness and transparency of public procurement activities.