Rwanda and Guinea-Conakry have signed a "strategic” agreement to modernise and digitise the latter’s public procurement system, according to a post on X, on November 24, by Rwanda’s Embassy in Guinea.

"We’ve experience in the digitisation of public procurement, and especially in the public finance management. And it is that experience we bring to Guinea to help [it] digitise public procurement,” said Patricie Uwase, the Chief Executive Officer of Rwanda Cooperation Initiative (RCI).

Rwanda Cooperation Initiative was established by the Government of Rwanda in 2018 to promote and share innovative development initiatives through South-South and Triangular Cooperation.

The agreement, she pointed out, was signed to formalise the project for Guinea’s e-public procurement – online public procurement.

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On November 20, Rose Pola Pricemou, Guinea&039;s Minister of Posts, Telecommunications and Digital Economy, led a delegation from Rwanda Cooperation Initiative to Guinea.

In a meeting with Guinea’s Prime Minister Amadou Oury Bah, the progress made within the framework of the E-Procurement project was highlighted.

The meeting aimed to take stock of the flagship initiative aimed at digitising public procurement in Guinea, Uwase said.

The Government of Guinea reaffirmed its commitment to promoting transparency and efficiency in the management of public procurement, while strengthening trust between stakeholders, Pricemou pointed out.

"This collaboration between Guinea and Rwanda embodies a common desire for technological innovation and modernisation of administrative processes. It is fully in line with the vision of the President of the Republic [of Guinea], General Mamadi Doumbouya, to make digital technology a catalyst for development and good governance,” she observed.

Information from Rwanda Cooperation Initiative shows that with its support and the commitment of the Guinean government, the delivery of the platform's first module was planned in line with achieving transparency, efficiency, and digital transformation from January 2025. It added that training workshops were already launched to prepare the actors for this technological revolution.

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In 2018, the World Bank indicated that Rwanda was the first African country to implement an electronic government procurement system, also known as e-GP system, nationally. Accordingly, Rwanda’s e-GP journey has the potential to create a ripple effect across the continent and beyond.

Such electronic government procurement systems are in line with an effort to reduce corruption, improve transparency and efficiency, and minimise potential collusion among bidders, it added.