The Ministry of Education and Human Resources, in partnership with the Financial Services Institute (FSI), recently conducted a half-day workshop aimed at enhancing financial governance, ethics, and responsibility in public procurement. The event, held at the World Hindi Secretariat auditorium in Phoenix, brought together 150 officers from the ministry and representatives of parastatal organizations.
The workshop focused on key aspects such as transparency, legal obligations, and ethical principles, as well as issues related to combating money laundering and terrorist financing (Anti-Money Laundering/Combating the Financing of Terrorism). Minister of Education, Mahend Gungapersad, emphasized the importance of transparency and accountability in the public sector, stressing that decisions made by officers must adhere to legal frameworks.
Minister Gungapersad also highlighted the need to provide officers with the necessary tools to fully assume their responsibilities while respecting the law. Nitin Ramphul, Chief Executive Officer of the FSI, noted that the institution, established in 2018, provides training in the financial services sector and expressed the FSI's willingness to strengthen its collaboration with public institutions, particularly in developing competencies and promoting financial education.
Sacheedanand Tahalooa, a Procurement Consultant, presented three essential pillars of public procurement: good governance, respect for the legal framework, and personnel competencies. He stressed the importance of preventing conflicts of interest, separating responsibilities, and anticipating risks, citing the example of better planning for the supply of school textbooks to limit delivery delays.
Other experts, including Ashveen Gopee from PwC Legal and Khushant Mahadooa from Comply Today Consultancy Services Ltd, contributed to the workshop, discussing the legal and ethical aspects of public procurement and the challenges of combating money laundering and terrorist financing. The workshop aimed to equip officers with the knowledge and skills necessary to ensure that public procurement processes are conducted in an ethical and transparent manner.
The collaboration between the Ministry of Education and Human Resources and the FSI reflects the ongoing efforts to promote good governance and accountability in the public sector in Mauritius. By sensitizing officers on the importance of ethics and transparency in public procurement, the workshop contributes to the country's commitment to upholding high standards of integrity and responsibility in the management of public resources.
The workshop is part of a broader initiative to strengthen the capacities of public officers and promote a culture of transparency and accountability in the public sector. Key outcomes of the workshop include a better understanding of the importance of ethics and transparency in public procurement and the identification of strategies to prevent conflicts of interest and ensure compliance with legal frameworks.
Key points
- The Mauritian Ministry of Education and Human Resources partnered with the Financial Services Institute to conduct a workshop on ethics and transparency in public procurement.
- The workshop brought together 150 officers from the ministry and representatives of parastatal organizations to discuss key aspects of public procurement.
- The event aimed to equip officers with the knowledge and skills necessary to ensure that public procurement processes are conducted in an ethical and transparent manner.
