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The problems has also become growing concern among foreign investors who'd otherwise like to do business with The Gambia but a effectively locked because of it.
Indigenous businesses and locally-registered ones would prefer competing in a low-cost business environment that a level playing field provides for themselves and their prospective foreign business partners.
In fact, it is believed that one of the reasons some world class companies, once active in the 1970s and 80s but are now absent in the economic and financial life of the country, is because of the high cost of doing business in a previously business-friendly environment, partially because of the unacceptable levels of corruption. Other factors driving the cost of doing business to non competitive levels are bureaucratic red tape, the tax burden, monetary and personal freedoms.
As a corruption-deducing measure, a number of countries have adopted electronic procurement system, also known as e-GP system. Rwanda is the first country in Africa to adopt the system nationally in its effort to improve transparency in an effort to minimize potential among bidders.
Rwanda's system, known locally as UMUCYO which means "transparency", is an adaptation from the South Korean version of a web-based e-Procurement system designed as an online portal with modules for advertisements, e-bidding, evaluation, contract management, inspection and acceptance, framework, catalogue, where suppliers can register and submit bids online. This method eliminates the need for government officials to come in direct contact with prospective bidders when most of the shenanigans take place.
We hope that the Barrow-led coalition government will start addressing the corruption problem that has tarnished the image of a transition government by introducing a procurement system similar to Rwanda's web-based e-Procurement system.
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