Photo taken at the official opening of the 16th East African Procurement Forum (EAPF) on 9th September 2024 in Arusha International Conference Centre, Arusha, Tanzania. Seated at the Centre is the Guest of Honour, Hon. Doto Biteko, the Deputy Prime Minister of Tanzania representing Her Excellency Dr. Samia Suluhu Hassan, the President of the United Republic of Tanzania. Standing in the Middle is the former Chairperson for Finance and Economic Planning of the Transitional National Legislative Assembly (TNLA), Hon Changkuoth Bichock; and the Chairman of PPDAA Board of Directors,  Hon: Ayii Bol Akol.

The EAPF is a meeting of the public procurement regulatory bodies from the East African Community (EAC) member states which is held annually on a rotational basis since 2008. It is a meeting which attracts stakeholders from partner states of the EAC and beyond, including participants from the public and private sectors, civil society and media. The partner states are Tanzania, Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, South Sudan and Democratic Republic of Congo. The objective of the annual forum is to enhance interaction between different actors in public procurement in the EAC and to give stakeholders an opportunity to share their experiences and efforts towards improving and harmonizing the public procurement landscape in the region. The resolutions of the forum are focused on strengthening the efforts towards harmonization of the public procurement systems, legislations and practices within the EAC. 

The first EAPF was held in Uganda, from 10th to 12th June 2008 and was organized by the Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Assets Authority (PPDA) of Uganda in conjunction with the World Bank. During this forum, participants agreed the hosting of the Forum should be rotational among all the East African member countries. 

The 16th East African was a four days (9th to 12th September 2024) event organised by the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA) of Tanzania with a theme “Digitalization for Sustainable Public Procurement”. More than 1,000 participants who attended the forum discussed and deliberated on various papers that were presented under five subthemes: Implementation of E-GP in East African Countries and Beyond; Implementation of Sustainable Public Procurement in East African Countries; Impact of e-GP on Sustainable Supply Chain; Managing E-Waste in the Era of Digitalization for Sustainable Supply Chain and Cross Cutting Issues. 

During the Opening Ceremony, the Guest of Honour also officially launched the National e-Procurement System of Tanzania (NeST). NEST is a comprehensive platform developed to manage all public procurement activities electronically. It supports various aspects of procurement, including e-tendering, contract management, and e-auctions. This system allows both public entities and vendors to interact seamlessly through a centralized portal, enhancing transparency and accessibility in procurement processes.