In today’s Report, Immediate past Director General of the Bureau of Public Procurement and Price Intelligence in Imo State, Chief Paschal Egwim, stated that it was the role of strategic procurement to strike the critical balance between short-term cost savings and long-term business delivery objectives, and that Chief Financial Officers and Chief Executive Officers would always be looking to drive down costs. This was one of the perspectives offered by Egwim in his keynote address at the high-impact educational symposium organised by the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply (CIPS) with the theme “Driving Value and Sustainability in Resource-Limited Settings via Strategic Procurement” held on Tuesday in Abuja.
He stated that the emphasis should not only be on short-term cost savings, but also on “strategic cost organisations, cost avoidance, minimising cost drivers and increasing value drivers along value chains, ultimately increasing value for money in all commercial dealings through the application of risk analysis and mitigation tools, spend analysis tools.” Category management, value analysis, and positioning for contractors and suppliers. Egwim told the high-quality audience of procurement professionals that strategic procurement must also focus on developing strong standards, systems, processes, technology, and innovations that “provide solutions to emerging challenges like corruption and procurement fraud risks at every stage in the procurement value chain as well as the entire project life cycle.”
He insisted that the use of compliance monitoring and other corruption prevention tools (e-Procurement) rather than detection, as well as the development and implementation of regulatory governance controls and assurance frameworks, would ensure the integrity of actions along value chains and increase shareholder or stakeholder value. He claimed that the objectives of strategic procurement may thus be met not by a single discipline operating in isolation, but by a multidisciplinary group functioning as a cohesive team incorporating all important stakeholders to meet overall business delivery objectives.
Egwim stated that strategic procurement must consider the character, personal integrity, and antecedents of people hired into procurement or supply chain organisations by collaborating with Human Resources (department) to conduct proper background checks on people before recruitment into the department. In his presentation at the conference, titled “The Stars Have Aligned.” Ben Farrell, MBE, Chief Executive Officer of CIPS, stated clearly that “strategy sets direction while narrative shapes belief, which drives execution,” and pointed out that “when the narrative is not aligned and the team hears one thing, feels another, and believes something else, execution does not just slow down, it fractures.”
Farrell strongly advised about mismatched communication in the procurement process. For him, “misaligned communication breeds doubt, confusion, and disagreement; and in moments of pressure, people don’t fall back on talking points; they fall back on the last thing that felt right to them.” He stated that procurement discipline was continuously developing, revealing that 13 million people were now employed in procurement and supply globally, with the turf expanding on a yearly basis. In his welcome remarks, Ambassador Daniel Etameta, Northern Coordinator of CIPS, Nigerian Branch, stated that strategic procurement must be the lens through which “we respond—by building adaptable, ethical, and data-driven supply systems that support resilience and sustainability.”
According to him, “Here in Nigeria, we are going through a reform-driven change. Our monetary and fiscal policies are being recalibrated. We have significant challenges, but also enormous opportunities. To rebuild trust, increase openness, innovate within our restrictions, and ensure that every naira and dollar makes a significant difference. “And therefore, today’s gathering is important. These limits act as catalysts rather than barriers. They should compel us to think imaginatively, act decisively, and construct robust systems. Etameta used the symposium to express the CIPS’ appreciation to Dr. Adebowale Adedokun, Director General of the Bureau of Public Procurement, whose visionary leadership, he said, “continues to elevate the strategic relevance of procurement and supply in Nigeria’s development agenda.”
“We also recognise the invaluable contributions of our BPP colleagues, other ministries and government agencies, private sector leaders, non-governmental organisations, and institutional partners in making today’s event a success.” “Let me be clear, colleagues: procurement is no longer a back-office role. It powers service delivery, protects institutional trust, and builds operational resilience.”
