The seminar, held on Wednesday, 26 March 2025, at the Bank's headquarters in Abidjan, was led by Ms. Marcelle Akposso, Chief Procurement Officer at the Bank Group. It brought together over 160 business representatives from across Côte d'Ivoire.
Ms. Akposso was joined by several Bank officials, including Mr. Rasmane Ouédraogo, Chief Procurement Information System Officer; Mr. Frédéric Kouassi, Chief Procurement Officer; Mr. Francis Mensah, Chief Insurance Officer; and Mr. Wottor Yao, Chief Consultant Contract Award Expert.
"In the past three years, the share of institutional procurement contracts awarded to Ivorian firms has remained low--currently at just 11 percent," Ms. Akposso noted. "This is well below their potential, especially considering the Bank's headquarters is located in Côte d'Ivoire, and that some services are best delivered by local partners.
The experts shared insights into the Bank's contracting and procurement processes and rules, highlighting that the Bank publishes an annual procurement plan for goods, services and works on its website, to guide intending suppliers.. They stressed the importance of getting acquainted with the qualifying criteria for bidding for Bank contracts, and also addressed attendees' concerns about some contracting conditions deemed to be restrictive.
"Don't try to do everything at the same time. It's important to choose the area of expertise where you really stand out, and register on the Bank Group's database. That will increase your chance of being selected," Akposso advised " All the information is available on the Bank Group's website. It's important to visit the site and find out what you need to know." She added that service providers from all of the Bank's eighty-one member states are eligible to bid for contracts in all the countries, charging them to "be bold and [apply for] contracts the Bank offers in other countries, not just in the domestic market."
One of the Seminar participants, Cyrille Eddie, from the Société africaine de prévention et de surveillance de la sécurité industrielle (Sapressi), which specializes in industrial control, training and consultancy, said, "We learned a lot about submitting tenders, and particularly being registered on the Bank's database so that we can receive invitations to tender. That was something we weren't aware of. Previously we were nervous, because we weren't sure whether it was possible for us to compete at that level. But now we know that we can. We need to set to work to become one of the Bank's partners."
Sandrine Béa, who runs catering specialist Casa Originel, said. "When I heard people talking about the African Development Bank and its tenders, I'd tell myself that it was all very complicated, and always wondered whether it was something I could get involved in. We were asked to be bold, which doesn't come naturally to businesses in Côte d'Ivoire. Now, we're going to give it a try."
Participants urged the Bank to organize the Seminar on a regular basis, while also including capacity-building sessions to provide additional support in responding to invitations to tender, in accordance with the Bank's standard procedures.
