Praz annual indaba underway

Mukudzei Chingwere in VICTORIA FALLS

The Procurement Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (PRAZ) has drawn international delegates for its two-day annual conference to focus on the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and its implications for sustainable procurement practices across the continent.

Vice President Dr Constantino Chiwenga will be the guest of honour at the two-day conference, which starts today in Victoria Falls.

It has drawn over 500 delegates to the resort city.

Those expected to attend include regional participants, accounting officers, heads of public procurement regulatory authorities, heads of procurement management units, representatives of United Nations agencies, the World Bank and the African Development Bank.

European participants from the United Kingdom and Italy are set to be part of the conference, which runs under the theme: “Empowering Africa: Leveraging sustainable procurement in the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).”

PRAZ chief executive Mr Clever Ruswa said they were targeting to explore the potential opportunities within the AfCFTA for implementing sustainable procurement strategies that support environmental, social and economic goals.

“The main objective is to create a nexus through integrating sustainability in the African Continental Free Trade Area’s trade and procurement,” said Mr Ruswa.

“There is need for PRAZ, as a public procurement regulator, to focus on one critical component of the AfCFTA, which aims to reduce trade problems such as different regulations from one country to another, hence there is need for harmonisation of procurement laws.

“This dovetails well with the Whole-of-Government thrust of promoting local businesses especially micro, small and medium enterprises, thereby creating an opportunity for these enterprises to expand through exporting to regional and continental markets in a sustainable manner.”

PRAZ also seeks to foster collaboration and partnerships among African nations, businesses, and stakeholders to develop a unified approach to sustainable procurement under AfCFTA.

The conference also seeks to develop a strategic roadmap for integrating sustainable procurement into the broader goals of AfCFTA, ensuring long-term impact and alignment with the African Union’s Agenda 2063.