Uganda to host the 14th Annual East African Procurement Forum & Business Expo in March 2023
Frank Semata 
Uganda, through the Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Assets Authority (PPDA), will be hosting the 14th annual East African Procurement Forum & Business Expo in 2023
At the 13th EAPF held in Kigali – Rwanda held from 15th-16th April, 2021, Uganda was given the mantle to organize and host the 14th EAPF in Kampala.
The East African Procurement Forum (EAPF) is a meeting of EAC Procurement Regulatory Bodies that is convened annually since 2008 and include Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Assets Authority (PPDA) of Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, DRC and South Sudan who regulate over 200,000 suppliers with a procurement market size estimated at over 100 Billion USD annually.
Originally scheduled for November 2022, the Kampala Forum was pushed to 23rd - 26th March 2023 partly because of the guidance from the Ministry of Health on the Ebola Virus situation in the country
The Minister of State for Finance, Hon. Henry Musasizi while addressing media said that now that we have no cases of Ebola, the expo will happen.
“Now that we overcome the Ebola Virus situation, I am confident to announce that the PPDA will host the 14th East African Procurement Forum (EAPF) & Business Expo on behalf of the Government of Uganda under the theme; “Open Contracting as a vehicle for sustainable Development”.
The annual forum attracts around 300 participants including Government officials, public procurement industry Experts, Government suppliers/Bidders, Development Partners among others.
The main purpose of the Forum is to increase interaction and knowledge sharing and to consolidate efforts towards improving the public procurement landscape in the region.
The Minister noted that the expo aligns well with regional socio-economic transformation and sustainable development;
“As a government, we know that public procurement is important for the country’s economic growth. As you may be aware, Over 60% of the National Budget is spent on public procurement, we consider it is an integral part of strategic governance.”
“I believe this forum and the business expo align well with the EA region’s efforts in consolidating momentum that will drive the region into socio-economic transformation, prosperity and sustainable development.”
“This East African Procurement Forum and Business Expo is therefore an opportunity for Uganda as a nation to share experiences and challenges with the aim of improving country procurement systems while upholding the desire by member states to harmonize the systems towards a political federation.” He added.
Mr. Robert Mukiza, the Director General at Uganda Investment Authority said, “The forum and business expo like this one is a kind of initiative that is key in mobilizing private investments and creating new business opportunities for Uganda and the region at large. UIA will be there to provide a one-stop center where investors will have the opportunity to register their business and get advisory services on investing in Uganda.”
