Public Procurement is a Strategic Tool for Delivering Fast Growth-Ggoobi
The Permanent Secretary and Secretary to the Treasury, Dr. Ramathan Ggoobi has said Uganda’s transformation goal under the NDP IV and the Tenfold Growth Strategy to grow our economy to USD 500 billion by 2040 will depend on how effectively public investments are executed. He said procurement is very central to this execution.
The PSST made the remarks today while officiating at the PPDA Public Procurement Cadre Forum 2026 at Speke Resort Munyonyo.
“Public procurement must therefore stop being viewed merely as a compliance process. It must become a strategic tool for delivering faster growth, better services, stronger local industries and value for money for Ugandans,” said Ggoobi, adding that procurement determines whether projects are delivered on time, within budget and to the required quality.
The PSST however decried the persistent challenges including; lengthy procurement timelines, delayed projects, weak contract management, cost overruns, fragmented systems and corruption risks. He said these delays are costly to government, costly to taxpayers and costly to national development.
He noted that Government is accelerating the rollout of e-Government procurement in Ministries,Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to improve transparency, efficiency, accountability and traceability, adding that the new reforms are now focused on reducing procurement lead times and unnecessary bureaucracy, standardising procurement processes, strengthening contract management and promoting local content.
“We need a procurement system that is faster, cleaner, smarter and more professional. A system that delivers projects. A system that inspires public confidence. A system aligned to Uganda’s development agenda,” said the PSST.
The Executive Director PPDA Uganda Canon Benson Turamye earlier in his remarks said effective and efficient public procurement can drive the national growth strategy, adding that there is need to transform public procurement in Uganda by focusing on practical implementable reforms.
Turamye said 65% of the annual budget is spent through public procurement, adding that public procurement contributes about 15%-20% of GDP in Uganda.
