At the end of November 2025, APLU Director, Prof Geo Quinot, delivered the keynote address at the 5th Assembly of the African Public Procurement Network (APPN) that was hosted by the Government of Zimbabwe (which held the 2025 presidency of the APPN) at Victoria Falls. The APPN is the continental body bringing together the chief procurement offices of 53 African states to deliberate on matters of mutual interest. The General Assembly, composed of heads of national public procurement authorities, is the highest decision-making body of the APPN, setting strategic direction, electing leadership, and guiding key decisions at its annual assembly.
In his opening keynote speech, Quinot argued that public procurement is one of the keys to unlocking the African continent’s full potential, but that it will only be possible if African states collectively and intentionally tailor their public procurement systems with optimal developmental objectives as primary objective while pursuing maximum integrity within and integration across national procurement systems. He outlined the various strands of public procurement law and policy where innovation is required to achieve these goals.
Prof Quinot also participated in a panel discussion during the course of the Assembly on Reinforcing Governance Through Public Procurement: A Social Contract Approach. This panel explored the ways in which public procurement systems should intentionally be anchored in the needs of societies turning such societies into primary structures of governance.
