The Central Procurement Board of Namibia (CPBN) has welcomed Amon Ngavetene as the acting chairperson. Ngavetene, appointed by finance minister Ipumbu Shiimi effective 1 April 2022, will also head the operations of CPBN as Acting Head Administrator during this time.

He was appointed as a CPBN board member for three years in March 2021. Awaiting his High Court admission as a legal practitioner, Ngavetene is a corporate governance expert with special emphasis on risk and compliance. He holds a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B) from the University of South Africa (UNISA), passed the Legal Practitioners Admission Exam, has a certificate in the Management Development Programme from the University of Stellenbosch; a Bachelor’s of Education from the University of Namibia (UNAM), and is conducting a research thesis for a Master of Laws in Corporate Governance through the University of South Africa. 

The CPBN was established by the Public Procurement Act, 2015. The Board has a mandate to conduct the bidding process on behalf of public entities for the awarding of contracts for procurement or disposal of assets that exceed the threshold prescribed for public entities. It is also tasked to enter into contracts for procurement or disposal of assets on its own behalf or on behalf of public entities, and to direct and supervise accounting officers in managing the implementation of procurement contracts. 

Following their terms coming to an end at the end of March 2022, the CPBN has bid farewell to Patrick Swartz, founding chairperson and administrative head as well as Lischen Ramakhutla, founding deputy chairperson and deputy administrative head. Swartz and Ramakhutla were appointed by then finance minister Calle Schlettwein in April 2017 for a period of five years. 

Since its establishment in 2017, the CPBN has overseen more than N$20 billion in Individual Procurement Plans, close to N$7 billion in Direct Procurement, some N$7.4 in Transitional Procurement Matters, and N$4.7 billion of Competitive Bidding.