The Pragmatic Nexus Between Public Procurement Governance and Socioeconomic Development in Sub-Saharan Africa: Opportunities from Interactive Governance Models

Abstract

This dissertation examines the nexus between public procurement governance and socioeconomic development in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), with a particular attention to the opportunities and presented by interactive governance models. Recognizing public procurement as a pivotal mechanism for channeling public resources, the research addresses a critical gap in empirical research linking procurement governance to developmental outcomes in the region. The central hypothesis posits that effective procurement governance significantly enhances socioeconomic development, and that interactive governance models—characterized by stakeholder participation, transparency, accountability, flexibility, and sustainability—can further strengthen this relationship.

The study adopts a mixed-methods design that combines cross-country quantitative analysis using data from established international sources with a framework-based quantitative content analysis of procurement legal frameworks in 25 SSA countries, alongside an in-depth case study of Tanzania. The quantitative analysis demonstrates that procurement governance effectiveness is a strong and statistically significant predictor of socioeconomic development, measured using the Human Development Index (HDI) and explaining a substantial share of cross-country variation. Corruption perception is identified as a critical mediating factor, with lower perceived corruption associated with stronger adoption of interactive procurement governance practices.

The content analysis of principal procurement legislations across SSA demonstrates uneven progress where most countries have codified transparency and accountability, but flexibility, stakeholder participation, and sustainability are underdeveloped. The Tanzania case study corroborates these findings, highlighting improvements in transparency through e-procurement with persistent gaps in participatory and sustainable practices. These insights are synthesized into the Public Procurement Governance Maturity Model (PPGMM), which categorizes countries along a continuum ranging from rule-based compliance to transformative interactive governance.

The dissertation concludes that although SSA countries have made significant strides in consolidating rule-based procurement governance, further progress requires embedding participatory and sustainable practices into legal frameworks and institutional practice. The findings advance theoretical debates by integrating Principal–Agent, Stewardship, Network, Collaborative, and Institutional theories, and offer practical guidance for policymakers, regulators, and development partners.