Over 100 procurement professionals and business practitioners from some of Ghana’s leading institutions have participated in the 2026 KRIF Ghana Procurement Master Class, in what organisers described as a highly practical and engaging professional development programme.
Held under the theme “Buying Better: Cost, Quality, Risk & Total Value in Workplace Procurement,” the Master Class brought together professionals from the public and private sectors for intensive learning, practical exercises, knowledge-sharing and networking.
Participants were drawn from prominent institutions including the Bank of Ghana, the Office of the President, the Ghana Police Service, Tobinco Media Group and the Ghana Health sector, among other leading organisations.
The strong institutional representation turned the programme into a major gathering of procurement professionals, creating an opportunity for participants to exchange experiences, examine real workplace challenges and explore practical approaches to improving procurement performance.
The programme featured a line-up of experienced facilitators and practitioners, including Management and Procurement Consultant Kobina Atta Bedu and International Development Consultant and former USAID Chief of Party in Zambia, Maggie Lada.
Executive Chairman of KRIF Ghana Limited, Rev. Kennedy Okosun, also addressed participants, challenging procurement professionals to look beyond traditional administrative functions and position themselves as strategic contributors to organisational growth and performance.
Mr. Kobina Atta Bedu cautioned procurement professionals against “maverick buying”, warning that unplanned purchasing outside established systems could undermine an organisation’s strategy, spending controls and financial performance.
He explained that maverick buying occurs when individuals or departments make purchases outside established procurement systems and procedures.
“Do you want to have an organisation where there’s maverick buying, where everybody buys what they want, or do we have a structured approach where spending is aggregated and consolidated?” he asked.
Mr. Bedu said organisations must determine procurement structures that best support their vision and objectives, including whether purchasing should be centralised or decentralised.
He challenged procurement professionals to understand their organisations beyond their departments by studying their corporate objectives, vision, values and business strategies.
“You have to understand the bigger picture,” he said, stressing the need for procurement professionals to translate corporate strategies into appropriate procurement strategies.
According to him, organisations pursuing cost leadership require procurement strategies capable of securing goods and services at competitive prices, while businesses pursuing differentiation may require procurement decisions that place greater emphasis on quality and other factors that give them a competitive advantage.
He urged professionals to understand how procurement decisions affect revenue, costs, profitability and overall organisational performance.
Ms. Maggie Lada, meanwhile, identified emotional intelligence, curiosity and sound judgement as important qualities for procurement professionals seeking to advance into leadership positions.
She said procurement professionals must be able to build relationships across departments, manage disagreements professionally and remain collaborative while protecting procurement standards.
Speaking at the Master Class, Ms. Lada said while technical knowledge and attention to detail remained essential, emotional intelligence became increasingly important as professionals progressed into middle and senior management.
She encouraged procurement managers to approach superiors not merely with problems but also with possible solutions, adding that senior professionals must be able to interpret complex regulations and apply them appropriately to situations that may not fit neatly into established rules.
Ms. Lada also encouraged participants to cultivate curiosity and think creatively about how procurement regulations could support broader organisational objectives.
Rev. Kennedy Okosun challenged participants to continuously upgrade their knowledge and move beyond viewing procurement as merely an administrative function.
He said procurement professionals needed to understand finance, operations, technology, strategy and leadership if they were to become effective contributors to organisational decision-making.
He urged professionals to focus not only on price but also on quality, risk, efficiency and total value.
According to Rev. Okosun, KRIF Ghana’s four decades of experience working with institutions had reinforced its belief that effective procurement leadership could have a direct impact on organisational performance.
Unlike conventional training programmes focused largely on classroom presentations, the KRIF Master Class incorporated practical learning through a Procurement Challenge Lab, where participants worked in teams to solve a realistic procurement scenario from the planning stage through to contract award.
The programme also featured sessions on professional development, procurement beyond the lowest price, the hidden costs of cheap purchases and practical approaches to supplier evaluation.
Participants engaged in an action-planning session and networking activities, allowing them to translate lessons from the programme into practical steps for their respective organisations.
Certificates of participation were also presented to participants at the end of the programme.
The organisers said the Master Class was designed to help procurement professionals strengthen their competence, broaden their strategic outlook and develop practical approaches capable of delivering greater value to their organisations.
With participation from institutions spanning financial services, government, security, media and healthcare, the event offered a platform for professionals from different sectors to learn from one another and build valuable industry connections.
KRIF Ghana said the initiative forms part of its broader commitment to developing procurement professionals who can move beyond routine purchasing and play a more strategic role in organisational growth and performance.
