Lagos summit to explore digital procurement solutions

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Procurement executives, policymakers and corporate leaders from across Africa will gather in Lagos later this month to discuss how digital technologies can help large enterprises tackle fraud, inefficiency and weak oversight in procurement systems.

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The summit, organised by Gloopro, comes as African businesses increasingly shift procurement from a back-office administrative function to a strategic boardroom priority amid growing pressure to improve transparency, cost control and operational efficiency.

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The Digital Procurement Africa Summit 2026, scheduled for May 26 in Lagos, will bring together procurement heads, supply chain executives and public-sector officials for discussions centred on digital transformation in enterprise procurement. The event is themed ‘Accelerating Procurement Transformation for Large Enterprises in the Digital Era’.

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According to Gloopro, the forum is designed as a closed-door executive platform focused on practical discussions around what is working and failing in procurement systems across the continent.

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“Africa’s procurement ecosystem is entering a defining moment, and digital transformation is at the centre of it,” Chief Executive Officer of Gloopro, Olumide Olusanya, said at a press conference. “The DPA Summit 2026 is a call to the leaders shaping the future of procurement across public and private sectors to come together, share what is genuinely working on the ground, and commit to the practical shifts our continent now requires.”

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The summit reflects a broader shift among African enterprises towards digital procurement systems as companies confront persistent challenges, including off-contract spending, fragmented supplier oversight and procurement leakages. Many multinational enterprise resource planning systems remain poorly aligned with Africa’s largely informal supplier networks, creating inefficiencies that increase operational costs and weaken governance controls.

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Discussions at the summit will focus on automation, procurement governance and strategies to reduce enterprise leakage linked to manual procurement systems. Planned sessions include conversations on the hidden costs of manual procurement processes, the use of automation to improve executive productivity, and the role of digital procurement systems in managing decentralised purchasing and tail-spend.

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The format of the summit will differ from conventional conferences, with organisers opting for smaller executive roundtables, fireside discussions and working sessions aimed at encouraging candid conversations and actionable outcomes.

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Gloopro, which provides eProcurement and Procurement-as-a-Service solutions to multinational companies and large enterprises, said digital procurement adoption was becoming increasingly important as organisations seek better visibility and control over indirect spending. The company operates procurement management services across Nigeria and other African markets, serving clients including multinational corporations and international oil companies.

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It said procurement digitalisation is gaining traction globally as companies seek to reduce fraud risks, automate routine purchasing processes and strengthen compliance systems. However, adoption across Africa remains uneven due to infrastructure gaps, fragmented supplier ecosystems and varying levels of digital readiness among enterprises and public institutions.

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The Lagos summit is expected to attract executives from multinational firms, public institutions and large private-sector organisations across the continent.

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