Liberia’s Boakai orders tighter compliance with public procurement rules

MONROVIA, Liberia (XOL Africa) — Liberian President Joseph Boakai has ordered government officials to adhere strictly to public procurement rules, arguing that transparent contracting is essential to protecting scarce state resources and widening access to government business.

Speaking at the opening of the 24th Cabinet meeting in Monrovia, which focused on procurement and concessions, Boakai said the procedures surrounding government purchases could be cumbersome but were necessary safeguards against the misuse of public funds.

“Sometimes people get frustrated about all what you have to do to go through to buy this and buy that,” Boakai said. “But just imagine if these things were not in place, and even if they are in place, that people there were not implementing them, the resources you are talking about, you will not have them.”

The meeting was held under the theme “Value for Money; Maximizing Fiscal Space through System Efficiency and Government Asset Security,” reflecting the administration’s emphasis on controlling expenditure and improving the efficiency of public finances.

Boakai portrayed procurement rules as more than an administrative hurdle, saying they should help create a level playing field for businesses seeking government contracts.

“When we say procurement in the sense of procurement, it helps with accountability. It helps with fair play in the market,” he said. “It also helps with making sure that every citizen has access to rendering services to this country.”

The president’s comments come as Liberia seeks to improve the management of public finances and ensure that government spending produces greater value for money. For local businesses, government procurement can provide an important source of demand, particularly in an economy where the state remains a significant purchaser of goods and services.

Boakai also rejected the idea that participation in government should be measured primarily by access to public-sector jobs. Liberians, he said, could participate in national development by supplying goods and services to the state through competitive procurement.

“Participation in the government doesn’t mean that everybody will work with the government, but you can serve, you can provide goods and services,” he said.

That participation, however, depended on a procurement system that gave qualified companies a genuine opportunity to compete. Boakai warned that weak enforcement could fuel perceptions that public contracts were being directed towards politically connected businesses or personal associates.

“To do that in a competitive society, you need to have a process by which everybody can have access without going around saying, well, they give it to their friend, they have this, they have that,” he said.

The emphasis on procurement also forms part of a broader effort to strengthen controls over government assets and spending. The Cabinet meeting was dedicated to procurement and concessions, areas that can have a substantial impact on public finances and private-sector participation in Liberia.

Boakai ended his remarks by thanking Cabinet members for their work, noting that public officials often attract attention for failures while routine efforts to run government receive less recognition.

“People wait for the mistake you make, but we’re in leadership,” he said. “So we watch and listen. We want to appreciate you very much.”

For Boakai’s administration, the test will be whether tighter adherence to procurement rules translates into measurable savings, more competition among suppliers and greater confidence that state contracts are awarded on merit rather than political connections.