Govt pushes for effective management of supply chain

MOROGORO: THE government has called on accounting officers from all public entities and local councils countrywide to thoroughly read and understand the amended Procurement Act, Chapter 410, enacted last year, to ensure effective management of the supply chain in the public interest.

The appeal was made on Tuesday in Morogoro by the Deputy Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Finance, Ms Jenifa Omolo, while officiating a training session focused on the supply chain for media editors, aimed at enhancing their understanding.

Ms Omolo said that adherence to procurement laws enables officials to make purchases compliant with regulations, ensuring value for money and the delivery of effective services to the public.

She warned that failure to follow procurement guidelines could lead to government assets being neglected, damaged, lost, or failing to reach their intended beneficiaries.

“Every purchase made with public funds must benefit the public with all procedures strictly adhering to supply chain management procurement, clearing and freight forwarding, receiving, storage, distributing, utilisation and disposal,” she stressed.

“When making a purchase, it is essential to ensure that the acquired assets deliver real benefits to the public. For example, when purchasing medicines, it is crucial to guarantee they are stored properly, maintained, distributed and delivered to the appropriate health facilities. This illustrates the supply chain we are addressing,” Ms Omolo explained.

She added, “Even when purchasing vehicles, it’s important to ensure they are utilised effectively and have a proper plan for their disposal once they are no longer serviceable.”

Ms Omolo further noted that the government has incurred losses due to non-compliance with procurement principles and laws, resulting in issues such as citizens not receiving essential medicines.

Commissioner for Public Procurement Policy at the Ministry of Finance, Dr Frederick Mwakibinga said that purchasing is only the initial step in the supply chain and that targeted beneficiaries must receive these goods or services and use them effectively and to the optimum.

He stressed the importance of enhancing services within the supply chain alongside improving public procurement processes.

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“I believe many of you know from your work that public procurement can save government funds when effective purchasing methods are applied,” Dr Mwakibinga said.

He added, “However, after procurement, you must question what happens to those assets. All activities associated with the supply chain must be monitored from the point of purchase to delivery to the final consumer –the citizen.”

Dr Mwakibinga said that the main objective of the supply chain is to maintain consistent quality, quantity and standards of public goods until they reach the end user.

Despite this, challenges persist in the procurement process. He said that the training aims to build a deeper understanding and capacity among participants to relay accurate and timely information to the public about the supply chain.

“The funds used in public procurement for goods and services belong to Tanzanians and are often sourced through loans and other government-funded avenues,” he said.

To ensure these funds are used effectively and reach their intended beneficiaries, Dr Mwakibinga stressed the need to strengthen supply chain activities.

Speaking on behalf of the media editors, training chairperson Ben Mwang’onda praised the Ministry of Finance for organising the session, noting that such initiatives are vital for enhancing productivity.

“Ministries serve as the engine of the nation’s economy by formulating development strategies,” he said.