Enhance transparency, Govt urged

“There is too much inflation of contract prices, corruption in the awarding of these contracts among other irregularities. Procurement laws need an overhaul to save public resources,”Mr Sikanyika said.

THERE is need for Government to revise the law relating to procurement so as to ensure transparency and accountability in public purchases, former State House deputy minister Blackson Sikanyika has said.

Mr Sikanyika said the current procurement laws had not guaranteed transparency and efficiency.

He said Government should amend the ZPPA Act to address inadequacies such as overpricing of contracts, single sourcing among others.

Mr Sikanyika said the country was losing millions of kwacha due to faulty procurement laws.

"There is too much inflation of contract prices, corruption in the awarding of these contracts among other irregularities. Procurement laws need an overhaul to save public resources,"Mr Sikanyika said.

And Mr Sikanyika said the Auditor General's office should audit all Government contracts.

Government is losing thousands of kwacha through overpricing of contracts and therefore there is need for forensic auditing of these projects

He said some contracts had been fully funded by Government but had not been completed due to corruption.

Mr Sikanyika said there was need for a thorough audit of all the Government funded projects to ensure that there was accountability and transparency in the implementation of projects.

"Government is losing thousands of kwacha through overpricing of contracts and therefore there is need for forensic auditing of these projects," Mr Sikanyika said.