A three-man delegation from the World Bank has concluded a five-day visit to the Lagos State Public Procurement Agency (LASPPA) to evaluate the state’s electronic procurement system.
The delegation, led by Procurement Specialist Akin Onimole, was following up on a previous visit by the Bank’s Regional Manager last year, during which the agency requested the World Bank’s support.
Onimole, a former General Manager of LASPPA, expressed his admiration for the agency’s progress, particularly its implementation of the e-Government Procurement (e-GP) system.
He commended LASPPA for its achievements, especially the live demonstration of the e-GP system by agency officials and the three ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs) assessed during the visit.
Onimole described LASPPA as a “trailblazer” in the field and affirmed the World Bank’s readiness to offer further support, aiming to make Lagos a model for other states in Nigeria.
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Richard Migambi, a Rwanda-based World Bank e-GP Consultant and member of the assessment team, explained that the visit aimed to gauge the current status of the e-GP system in Lagos and ensure the agency’s operations align with global standards.
Receiving the team, Fatai Onafowote, Director-General of LASPPA, expressed gratitude to the World Bank for its positive response and collaboration. He provided an update on the digitalisation of the agency, which began in 2018.
He highlighted that 159 MDAs in Lagos are now fully integrated into the e-GP platform, with over 3,700 contractors registered as service providers.
The World Bank team observed live demonstrations of the system in action across the three MDAs visited, gaining insights into how the platform operates for procuring entities in Lagos State.
