Ndiaye: Public Procurement Can Play a Key Role in Transitioning to a More Sustainable Future
Ahmedou Mustafa Ndiaye, the World Bank’s Regional Director for Morocco, affirmed yesterday in Rabat that public procurement, as a major economic pillar, represents a strategic mission capable of playing a pivotal role in the transition toward a more environmentally-friendly and sustainable future.
During his speech at the “Climate Smart Public Procurement Conference” for Arab countries and the Middle East and North Africa region, Ndiaye highlighted that public demand can set ambitious requirements, particularly in infrastructure, to integrate environmental and social considerations.
He cited the use of classified standards as an example that can promote local employment and address environmental challenges, especially by reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Ndiaye noted that the World Bank’s recent amendments to procurement rules clearly embody this ambition by emphasizing quality and the systematic integration of the aforementioned standards, particularly environmental and social ones.
He also recorded that coordination on sustainable public procurement fosters strong collaboration and partnerships, stressing the need to share experiences to strengthen institutionalization and sustainable practices.
Anand Kumar Srivastava, Director of Operations at the New Development Bank, underscored the significant importance of sustainable public procurement in combating climate change.
He pointed out that governments spend about $13 trillion annually on public procurement, with half of that in developing countries, especially in the Middle East and North Africa.
He also mentioned that these expenses often account for 20 percent of the gross domestic product of the countries that engage with the Bank as clients, thus providing a strong lever to transform economies and societies through purchasing decisions that integrate environmental, social, and economic standards.
In this context, Srivastava, representing an institution that allocates 40 percent of its funding to sustainable infrastructure projects, called for enhanced cooperation among multilateral development banks to support countries in the effective implementation of sustainable procurement processes.
The opening of this conference saw the participation of several notable figures, including the Minister Delegate in charge of the Budget, Fouad Lakjaa, the General Treasurer of the Kingdom, Nourredine Bensouda, the Director of the French Development Agency in Morocco, Catherine Banson, the Regional Director of the Islamic Development Bank in Morocco, Ahmed Ag Abou Bakr, the Deputy Director at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, Valérie Robert, and the Regional Director for Prosperity at the World Bank for the Middle East and North Africa, Nader Mohammed.
