African Procurement Laws: A Country-by-Country Guide

The {{https://uncitral.un.org/en/texts/procurement|UNCITRAL Model Law on Public Procurement}} — first adopted in 1994 and revised in 2011 — is the single most important instrument in the modernization of public procurement across Africa. Eleven African countries have directly based their procurement legislation on it: Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Nigeria, Rwanda, Uganda, Tanzania, and Zambia. Its influence extends far beyond direct adoption. International development organizations including the African Development Bank (AfDB), World Bank, and OECD use the Model Law as a benchmark for procurement reform assistance, meaning countries receiving development support are steered toward its principles even when they don't formally enact it.

The Model Law establishes foundational principles that run through most African procurement frameworks: open competition, transparency in solicitation and evaluation, formal qualification criteria for suppliers, written records of procurement decisions, and independent review mechanisms for aggrieved bidders. The 2011 revision added provisions for electronic procurement, framework agreements, and sustainable procurement — areas where African countries are now actively legislating.

The COMESA public procurement regulations, adopted in 2009, were themselves largely based on the UNCITRAL Model Law. This created a cascading effect: the Model Law influenced COMESA's regulations, which in turn influenced the nineteen COMESA member states' national laws. Similarly, the East African Community's procurement harmonization agenda references UNCITRAL principles as the baseline for regional alignment.

Four major regional economic communities have developed procurement frameworks that shape national laws across the continent:

WAEMU/UEMOA (West African Economic and Monetary Union) — The most prescriptive regional framework in Africa. Directive N°04/2005/CM/UEMOA establishes common procedures for the award, execution, and settlement of public contracts (*marchés publics*) and public service delegations across eight francophone West African states: Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Niger, Senegal, and Togo. Directive N°05/2005/CM/UEMOA governs control and regulation of these contracts. Member states transposed these directives into national law, replacing previously fragmented procurement texts. Each country maintains a national procurement regulatory authority (ARMP — Autorité de Régulation des Marchés Publics).

ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States) — ECOWAS has pursued procurement harmonization more broadly across its fifteen member states, complementing the WAEMU directives for francophone members. Recent initiatives include developing a regional electronic procurement portal and a PPP (public-private partnership) framework review conducted with World Bank PPIAF support.

COMESA (Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa) — COMESA adopted public procurement regulations in 2009 with AfDB support, aiming to harmonize rules, improve national procurement systems, and enhance awareness of procurement opportunities across its nineteen member states. The framework draws heavily on the UNCITRAL Model Law. Zimbabwe, for example, reformed its national procurement framework roughly a decade after COMESA's 2009 regulations were adopted.

EAC (East African Community) — The EAC takes a consultative approach through the East Africa Public Procurement Forum (EAPF), an annual meeting of procurement regulatory bodies from member states held since 2008. The forum drives harmonization of procurement systems, legislation, and practices. Key priorities include developing a common electronic portal for publishing procurement opportunities and contract awards, harmonizing provisions for bidder blacklisting, and incorporating sustainability criteria. The EAC Monetary Union Protocol also requires harmonization of public financial management systems, including procurement.

SADC (Southern African Development Community) — SADC's procurement harmonization is the least advanced of the four. Member states are still in the initial stages of opening procurement markets for regional competition, with procurement rules in most countries serving as barriers to cross-border participation. SADC adopted Procurement and Grants Guidelines in 2021 and is implementing a phased approach using the UNCITRAL Model Law as a reference point. The SADC Pooled Procurement Services (SPPS) — focused initially on medicines and medical supplies — represents a significant step toward regional procurement cooperation, expected to be fully operational by late 2026.

South Africa's procurement framework is the most transformed on the continent, driven by the constitutional mandate to use public procurement as a tool for socioeconomic redress.

Primary legislation: The Public Procurement Act 28 of 2024 was assented to by the President on 18 July 2024 and published in the Government Gazette on 23 July 2024. For the first time, South Africa has a single primary law governing public procurement, replacing the fragmented framework of the Preferential Procurement Policy Framework Act (PPPFA), the State Tender Board Act, and various provincial regulations. The Act creates an overarching national regulatory framework for procurement across all spheres of government — national, provincial, and local. Note: the Act's provisions are not yet fully in force; the President will bring them into operation through a gazette proclamation.

B-BBEE integration: The Act references the Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment Act (Act 53 of 2003) to enable meaningful participation of black people in the economy. Preferential procurement scoring, previously governed by the PPPFA's 80/20 and 90/10 point systems, continues under the new framework with B-BBEE compliance as a core evaluation criterion.

Oversight: The National Treasury oversees procurement policy. The Office of the Chief Procurement Officer (OCPO) manages the central supplier database and issues practice notes. The new Act is expected to establish a single procurement regulator.

e-Procurement: South Africa's Central Supplier Database (CSD) at csd.gov.za is mandatory for all government suppliers. The eTender portal publishes opportunities from all spheres of government. The National Treasury also launched a Transparency Portal publishing procurement data in line with open contracting standards.

For a complete guide to bidding on South African tenders, see How to Find Tenders in South Africa.

Kenya operates one of East Africa's most mature procurement systems, with strong digital infrastructure and a clear preference framework for disadvantaged groups.

Primary legislation: The Public Procurement and Asset Disposal Act, 2015 (Act No. 33 of 2015) gives effect to Article 227 of the Constitution and provides procedures for efficient public procurement and asset disposal by public entities. The Act has been revised twice — in 2016 and 2022. The 2022 revision replaced the PPRA Board with a Director-General model for streamlined decision-making.

Oversight body: The Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA) — previously the Public Procurement Oversight Authority (PPOA) under the 2006 Act — is the statutory body charged with regulatory functions and oversight of all public procurement activities. The PPAD Regulations, 2020 were adopted on 2 July 2020 after a five-year wait.

AGPO (Access to Government Procurement Opportunities): Kenya's signature procurement inclusion policy reserves 30% of government contracts for enterprises owned by youth, women, and persons with disabilities. Originally introduced in 2012 at 10%, the set-aside was increased to 30% in 2013. The AGPO policy also covers micro and small enterprises and local citizen contractors.

e-Procurement: Kenya launched its e-Government Procurement (e-GP) platform in April 2025 — a major milestone in East African e-procurement. The platform supports the full procurement lifecycle from publication through evaluation and award. Kenya's supplier registration system, IFMIS (Integrated Financial Management Information System), is mandatory for government suppliers.

UNCITRAL alignment: Kenya's 2015 Act is directly modeled on the UNCITRAL Model Law, with adaptations for constitutional requirements and the AGPO preference framework.

For step-by-step guidance on the Kenyan market, see How to Find Tenders in Kenya.

Nigeria's procurement framework centers on transparency and local content, though implementation varies across its 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.

Primary legislation: The Public Procurement Act 2007 (Act No. 14) was published in the Federal Republic of Nigeria Official Gazette on 19 June 2007. The Act established the National Council on Public Procurement and the Bureau of Public Procurement as the regulatory authorities for monitoring and oversight of federal public procurement.

Oversight body: The Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) at bpp.gov.ng is responsible for setting procurement policy, issuing guidelines, and maintaining a database of Nigerian suppliers. The BPP enforces compliance with procurement rules that prioritize Nigerian-made goods and local solutions across all Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs).

Local content: The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) — established under the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Act — regulates local content requirements, particularly in the oil and gas sector. The NCDMB's framework includes mandatory submission of statutory reports on procurement, vessel utilization, and local content compliance. The BPP and NCDMB together promote the "Nigeria First" policy, ensuring procurement rules prioritize domestic suppliers.

State-level variation: Each of Nigeria's 36 states has its own procurement law and oversight body. Lagos State, for example, has the Lagos State Public Procurement Agency (LASPPA). This fragmentation means that monitoring Nigerian procurement requires tracking federal and state-level sources separately.

e-Procurement: The BPP operates the Nigerian Open Contracting Portal (NOCOPO), publishing procurement data aligned with the Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS). Nigeria is one of only six African countries publishing machine-readable procurement data in OCDS format.

UNCITRAL alignment: The 2007 Act is directly based on the UNCITRAL Model Law, making Nigeria one of the Model Law's earliest African adopters.

For bidding strategies specific to Nigeria, see How to Find Tenders in Nigeria.

Ghana — Public procurement is governed by the Public Procurement Act 2003 (Act 663) as amended by the Public Procurement (Amendment) Act 2016 (Act 914). The amendment decentralized procurement decisions, raised procurement thresholds to empower Entity Tender Committees (ETCs), and embedded environmentally and socially sustainable principles into the Act's core objectives. The Public Procurement Authority (PPA) at ppa.gov.gh is the oversight body. Ghana is one of six African countries publishing procurement data in OCDS format. Ghana's procurement system is UNCITRAL-aligned and known for relatively strong transparency standards. For more, see How to Find Tenders in Ghana.

Tanzania — The Public Procurement Act, 2011 (PPA 2011) and its 2016 amendment govern procurement on the mainland (*manunuzi ya umma*). The Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA) oversees all public procurement activities. Tanzania's e-procurement journey began with the Tanzania National e-Procurement System (TANePS), which incorporated e-Tendering, e-Purchasing, e-Auction, e-Payment, and e-Contract management functions. The country has since transitioned to the National e-Procurement System of Tanzania (NeST), moving beyond TANePS toward fully automated procurement procedures. The 2011 Act introduced provisions for emergency procurement, procurement of used equipment, and new methods including force account and micro-value procurement. For a complete guide, see How to Find Tenders in Tanzania.

Ethiopia — The most recent major reform: Proclamation No. 1333/2024 — the Federal Public Procurement and Property Administration Proclamation — was published in the Federal Negarit Gazette on 9 September 2024. Key reforms include expanding the scope to cover State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs), prohibiting SOEs from receiving non-competitive awards from their parent public bodies, broadening local preference margins to include consortiums with foreign enterprises and enterprises owned by persons with disabilities and women, and integrating sustainability criteria requiring public bodies to favor products and services with lower environmental footprints and ethical labor practices. The Public Procurement and Property Administration Agency (PPA) at ppa.gov.et is the oversight body. For bidding guidance, see How to Find Tenders in Ethiopia.

Rwanda — Law N°62/2018 of 25/08/2018 governs public procurement in Rwanda, establishing one of Africa's most consolidated and transparent procurement frameworks. The Rwanda Public Procurement Authority (RPPA) at rppa.gov.rw oversees procurement regulation, while the Independent Review Panel (IRP) handles appeals within 30 days of receipt. Rwanda has implemented comprehensive reforms enhancing transparency, economic participation, and anti-corruption measures. Key features include significantly raised consultancy market fees (from 10 million to 50 million RWF) and goods procurement thresholds (from 50 million to 100 million RWF). Companies violating regulations face penalties including exclusion from public markets for up to one year. Rwanda operates a fully functional e-Procurement system, and its procurement data scores above 80 on availability metrics — among the highest in Africa. The government's policy of making all government business electronic by 2025 includes procurement as a core pillar.

Uganda — The Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Assets Act, 2003 (Cap. 205) is the foundation of Uganda's procurement system, amended in 2011 (effective March 2014) and again in 2021 (effective July 2021). The 2021 amendment introduced provisions for electronic records and communication and procurement requirements aggregation. The Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Assets Authority (PPDA) at ppda.go.ug is the primary regulatory body. Uganda's Electronic Government Procurement (e-GP) system at egpuganda.go.ug conducts end-to-end procurement online — planning, advertising, bidding, evaluation, contract award, management, invoicing, and payment. Uganda publishes procurement data aligned with OCDS and scores above 80 on procurement data availability — matching Rwanda and Kenya at the top of African rankings.

Several transformation themes are reshaping African procurement in 2025 and 2026:

E-procurement adoption — Digitalization remains a priority for 31% of African procurement reformers, though progress is uneven. Kenya's 2025 e-GP launch, Rwanda's fully electronic system, Uganda's e-GP platform, and Tanzania's NeST represent the leading edge. Many countries still struggle with infrastructure, connectivity, and digital literacy barriers. The EAC is working toward a common electronic portal for regional procurement publication.

Open contracting and data transparency — Six African countries — Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, and Uganda — now publish procurement data in machine-readable OCDS format. The 2025 Global Data Barometer found that 41 out of 43 assessed countries in Africa publish some procurement data online, with half using machine-readable formats. However, most countries only publish bidding notice and award data (90%+); only 17% publish actual spending against contracts during implementation. The Open Contracting Partnership continues to drive adoption through country-level support programmes.

Local content and domestic preference — Nearly every African procurement framework includes local preference provisions, reflecting the continent's industrialization goals. South Africa's B-BBEE framework, Kenya's 30% AGPO set-aside, Nigeria's "Nigeria First" policy and NCDMB local content requirements, and Ethiopia's expanded preference margins for domestic-foreign consortiums all prioritize local economic participation. These provisions are becoming more sophisticated — moving from simple price preferences to requirements for technology transfer, local employment, and supply chain localization.

Sustainability and green procurement — Green procurement is a top priority in Africa, second only to AI among reformers' stated interests. Ethiopia's Proclamation 1333/2024 explicitly requires sustainability criteria in procurement decisions. The EAC has identified green public procurement as a key policy area for regional harmonization. South Africa's new Act includes provisions for lifecycle costing and environmental considerations.

Artificial intelligence — 49% of African procurement reformers identified AI as the key emerging issue they want help with, signaling a continent-wide interest in using AI for procurement analytics, fraud detection, bid evaluation, and market intelligence.

Monitoring procurement across eight or more African jurisdictions — each with different laws, portals, languages, and threshold rules — is a significant operational burden. South Africa publishes on eTender, Kenya on its e-GP platform, Nigeria through the BPP and 36 state-level agencies, Ghana on the PPA portal, Tanzania on NeST, Ethiopia through the PPA, Rwanda on RPPA, and Uganda on its e-GP system. Procurement opportunities appear in English, French (*marchés publics*), Swahili (*manunuzi ya umma*), Amharic, and Kinyarwanda depending on the jurisdiction.

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