Ethiopia
Overview of transparency in the construction sector
Prior to CoST, transparency in the Ethiopian construction sector was limited to the disclosure of information on tenders and contract awards as required under the Ethiopian Federal Government Procurement and Property Administration Proclamation 2009. This information is required to be disclosed on the Public Procurement and Property Administration Agency web-site. The Ethiopian Multi-Stakeholder Group persuaded their Government to revise the country public procurement regulations to include the majority of the CoST disclosure requirements in a procurement proclamation and directives. This provides the MSG with a mandate to collaborate with the participating procuring entities.
Implementation
The Ethiopian pilot demonstrated the potential of CoST to hold procuring entities to account, identify governance reforms and generate significant cost saving. Its assurance teams analyzed 25 projects from the roads, education, water and health sectors highlighting causes for concern throughout the project cycle, particularly in the feasibility and design stage as well as the tender evaluation process and in contract implementation.
The procuring entities all publicly stated that valuable lessons were learnt from the pilot process which they aim to integrate into reformed governance procurement practice. Specifically, the Ethiopian Roads Authority is looking to make improvements in document management, the Ministry of Education is focusing on increased compliance with procurement regulations, and the Ministry of Health has committed to carrying feasibility studies for all major projects in future.
The Ethiopian Government has committed to CoST beyond the pilot with its inclusion in the National Growth and Transformation Plan and the Roads Sector Development Plan. The Ethiopian MSG is now aiming to institutionalise CoST by supporting the Public Procurement and Property Administration Agency website to facilitate the disclosure process and scale-up disclosure of project information from the procuring entities which participated in the pilot.
Governance
CoST Ethiopia has enjoyed strong and effective political support from its Champion, H.E. Ali Sulaiman, Commissioner, Federal Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission. It is overseen by CoST Ethiopia’s Multi-Stakeholder Group Executive Committee which comprises representatives from:
- Federal Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission
- Ethiopian Roads Authority
- Ministry of Urban Development and Construction
- Public Procurement and Property Administration Agency
- Ethiopian Construction Contractors’ Association
- Ethiopian Consulting Engineers’ & Architects’ Association
- Ethiopian Grade I Contractors’ Association)
- Transparency Ethiopia
- Birhane Tibeb Art, Health & Environmental Association and
- Ethiopian Association of Engineers
Contact
Tesfaye Yalew
Interim Coordinator, Multi-Stakeholder Group
Email: tesfayalew@yahoo.com
For further information, please visit the CoST Ethiopia website.
Please click here for the briefing note on Ethiopia.
Date Published: January 18, 2013