By Kodjo Adams
Accra, Oct. 02, GNA- More than 100 procurement professionals and business practitioners from public and private institutions have participated in the 2026 KRIF Ghana Procurement Master Class in Accra.
The programme, held on the theme “Buying Better: Cost, Quality, Risk and Total Value in Workplace Procurement,” sought to equip participants with practical approaches to improving procurement performance and contributing to organisational growth.
This was in a statement issued to the Ghana News Agency in Accra.
Participants were drawn from institutions including the Bank of Ghana, the Office of the President, the Ghana Police Service, Tobinco Media Group and the health sector.
The Master Class featured presentations and practical sessions by procurement and management consultant, Mr Kobina Atta Bedu, and International Development Consultant and former USAID Chief of Party in Zambia, Ms Maggie Lada.
Mr Bedu cautioned procurement professionals against “maverick buying”, which he described as purchasing outside established procurement systems and procedures.
He said such practices could undermine an organisation’s strategy, spending controls and financial performance.
“Do you want to have an organisation where there’s maverick buying, where everybody buys what they want, or do we have a structured approach where spending is aggregated and consolidated?” he asked.
Mr Bedu urged organisations to establish procurement structures that supported their vision and objectives, including determining whether purchasing should be centralised or decentralised.
He dvised also procurement professionals to understand their organisations’ corporate objectives, vision, values and business strategies to enable them to develop procurement strategies aligned with broader organisational goals.
“You have to understand the bigger picture,” he said.
Mr Bedu said organisations pursuing cost leadership required procurement strategies that secured goods and services at competitive prices, while those pursuing differentiation might place greater emphasis on quality and other factors that provided competitive advantage.
He therefore urged procurement professionals to consider how procurement decisions affected revenue, costs, profitability and overall organisational performance.
Ms Lada, for her part, identified emotional intelligence, curiosity and sound judgement as important qualities for procurement professionals seeking to advance into leadership positions.
She said technical knowledge and attention to detail remained important, but emotional intelligence became increasingly critical as professionals moved into middle and senior management.
Ms Lada urged procurement managers to build effective relationships across departments, manage disagreements professionally, and remain collaborative while upholding procurement standards.
She also encouraged professionals to approach senior managers not only with problems but with possible solutions.
Rev. Kennedy Okosun, the Executive Chairman of KRIF Ghana Limited, challenged procurement professionals to continuously upgrade their knowledge and move beyond viewing procurement as merely an administrative function.
He said professionals needed to understand finance, operations, technology, strategy and leadership to contribute effectively to organisational decision-making.
Rev. Okosun urged participants to look beyond price when making procurement decisions and consider quality, risk, efficiency and total value.
He said the KRIF Ghana’s experience of working with institutions over four decades had reinforced its belief that effective procurement leadership could contribute significantly to organisational performance.
The Master Class also included a Procurement Challenge Lab, where participants worked in teams to address a simulated procurement scenario from the planning stage through to contract award.
Other sessions focused on professional development, procurement beyond the lowest price, the hidden costs of cheap purchases and practical approaches to supplier evaluation.
Participants also took part in an action-planning session and networking activities designed to help them apply lessons from the programme to their respective organisations.
Certificates of participation were presented to participants at the end of the programme.
GNA
Edited by Benjamin Mensah
Reporter: Kodjo Adams