The Central Procurement Board of Namibia (CPBN) has achieved a significant national milestone by becoming the first institution in the country to receive the internationally recognised Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply (CIPS) Corporate Ethics Mark.
The award ceremony took place in Johannesburg, South Africa, on 05 August.
The CIPS Corporate Ethics Mark is awarded to organisations that demonstrate a strong commitment to ethical governance through the adoption of internationally recognised ethical standards, comprehensive staff training, and executive commitment to ethical leadership.
CPBN attained the recognition after successfully adopting the CIPS Corporate Code of Ethics, implementing ethics training and assessment for employees involved in procurement and governance functions, and formally endorsing the CIPS Statement of Commitment through the Chief Executive Officer on behalf of the Board.
The CPBN’s Chief Executive Officer Mr. Idi Itope described the achievement as a significant milestone for both the CPBN and Namibia’s public procurement system.
“This recognition reflects our unwavering commitment to conducting public procurement with integrity, fairness and accountability. As the first organisation in Namibia to receive the CIPS Corporate Ethics Mark, we are demonstrating that ethical procurement is central to how we safeguard public resources and serve the people of Namibia”, he noted.
The award is the result of CPBN’s strategic partnership with CIPS, established in December 2021, to professionalise public procurement, strengthen institutional governance and develop staff competencies in line with international best practice.
Since the partnership began, CPBN has invested significantly in building professional procurement capacity. Six employees completed the CIPS Corporate Practitioner Programme, with one employee already attaining the internationally recognised Member of the Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply (MCIPS) professional designation and four others expected to qualify during 2026.
A further three employees joined the programme this year, while 40 employees completed the CIPS Ethical Procurement and Supply Training.
The Ethics Mark assures public entities, suppliers, development partners and the public that CPBN operates under internationally recognised ethical standards and maintains a zero-tolerance approach to fraud, bribery, corruption and other forms of procurement misconduct.
