Digital Procurement Africa Summit in Lagos will focus on tackling fraud, inefficiency and weak oversight through technology

Procurement executives, policymakers and corporate leaders from across Africa are set to gather in Lagos later this month for the Digital Procurement Africa Summit 2026 to discuss how digital technologies can improve transparency, reduce fraud and strengthen procurement systems across large enterprises.

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The summit, organised by Gloopro, comes amid increasing efforts by African businesses to reposition procurement from a routine administrative function to a strategic boardroom priority.

Scheduled for May 26 in Lagos, the forum is themed, “Accelerating Procurement Transformation for Large Enterprises in the Digital Era.”

The Digital Procurement Africa Summit is expected to bring together procurement heads, supply chain executives and public-sector officials for high-level discussions on digital transformation and governance in enterprise procurement.

Speaking at a press conference ahead of the event, the Chief Executive Officer of Gloopro, Olumide Olusanya, said Africa’s procurement ecosystem was entering a critical phase driven by technological change.

“Africa’s procurement ecosystem is entering a defining moment, and digital transformation is at the centre of it,” Olusanya said.

“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.”

Organisers said the summit would serve as a closed-door executive platform focused on practical conversations around challenges affecting procurement systems across the continent.

The event reflects growing concerns among businesses over issues such as procurement leakages, off-contract spending, fragmented supplier management and weak governance controls linked to manual systems.

Industry experts have also raised concerns that many multinational enterprise resource planning systems remain poorly suited to Africa’s largely informal supplier networks, increasing operational inefficiencies and compliance risks.

Discussions at the summit will centre on procurement automation, governance frameworks and strategies for reducing enterprise leakage associated with manual purchasing processes.

Planned sessions include conversations on the hidden costs of manual procurement systems, the use of automation to improve executive productivity and the role of digital procurement platforms in managing decentralised purchasing and indirect spending.

Unlike traditional conferences, the summit will feature smaller executive roundtables, fireside chats and working sessions designed to encourage candid discussions and actionable outcomes.

Gloopro, which provides eProcurement and Procurement-as-a-Service solutions across Nigeria and other African markets, said digital procurement adoption was becoming increasingly critical as organisations seek greater visibility and control over indirect spending.

The company added that although procurement digitalisation is gaining momentum globally, adoption across Africa remains uneven due to infrastructure gaps, fragmented supplier ecosystems and varying levels of digital readiness.

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The Lagos summit is expected to attract senior executives from multinational corporations, international oil companies, public institutions and major private-sector organisations across the continent.