Purchasing and materials management in Africa

Abstract

The purpose of this note is to draw the attention of the ECA Executive Committee to a major area of foreign exchange drainage in the development and use of scare development resources in African countries. This is in respect of purchasing and materials management in the public sector, a service which is widely known to be lacking in proper management and to which most African Governments have paid insufficient attention to ensure efficiency, effective management. The note concludes with an outline of what ECA, with financial support from SIDA, has been attempting to do to promote more efficient 1975, including institutional arrangements for intra African co-operation in the same field and the difficulties that are forestalling the realization of these objectives.