Exploring the awareness and opportunities for the implementation of green procurement in new municipalities in Kumasi
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Date
2021-06-18
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Abstract
Though sustainable procurement incorporates more than considerations of the environment,
environmental or green procurement deals specifically with any issue connected solely to their
impacts to the environment. However, in Ghana there are no specific principles or guidelines for
sustainable procurement of goods and services, not to talk of green procurement. Based on this
was this study conducted to explore the awareness and opportunities for the implementation of
Green Procurement in the new municipalities in Kumasi. To attain this goal, four (4) objectives
were realized: to find the level of awareness of green procurement practices, to identify the benefits
of implementing green procurement, to identify the challenges in the implementation of green
procurement and to suggest ways to mitigate the challenges faced in the implementation of green
procurement in the new municipalities in Kumasi. The study made use of physical, scientific and
social science tools. In order to explore the awareness and opportunities of Green Procurement,
structured questionnaires were distributed, targeting the procurement offices, particularly the
procurement officers at post in the new municipalities carved out of Kumasi Metropolitan
Assembly namely: Oforikrom, Asokwa, Suame, Tafo and Kwadaso Municipal Assembly in
Kumasi. Since the target population of the procurement officers was ten (10), the sampling
technique of census was employed and as such every procurement staff was handed a questionnaire
of which 9 were received and analysed using descriptive statistical tools like Mean and Relative
Important Index (RII). Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) was used for the analysis of
the data collected. From the research survey, it was revealed that the municipal assemblies had no
awareness when it comes to green procurement and its practices, even though sustainable
procurement has been captured in the Amendment Act 914, but there is no exact law governing
environmental procurement practices. As such, the municipal assemblies have little or no
knowledge about green procurement and its practices, making the procurement process devoid of
practices that are environmentally friendly. Green Procurement has ranges of benefits like reducing
environmental impacts, financial savings, demonstrates public sector’s commitment to
environmental protection and to sustainable consumption and production, raises awareness of
environmental issues and sets example to private consumers with its purchases. For the municipal
assemblies to tap into these ranges of advantages, there is first the need for a green procurement
law to be enacted and aid the government’s goal to protect the environment through its purchasing.
Description
A thesis submitted to the Department of Construction Technology and Management, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the Award Degree of
Master of Science in Procurement Management.
Keywords
Sustainable Procurement, Green Procurement,, Municipal Assemblie