The World Bank Senior Procurement Specialist and Procurement Hub Coordinator for Ghana, Liberia and Sierra Leone, Ms. Lina Tutunji, has said that Contract Management is not only about applying rules, it is also about judgment, negotiation and practical problem-solving.

Ms. Lina Tutunji said this on Monday, April 28, 2025, when she delivered an opening address to begin a four-day FIDIC Course on Contract Management training for professionals on World Bank projects, at the Engineering Centre, Roman Ridge, Accra.

The 50 participants were drawn from Ghana, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Cape Verde and Gambia. They are project staff, all of whom are at the forefront of implementing World Bank-financed projects in West Africa. The 4 days training workshop (Monday, 28th April – Friday, 2nd June, 2025, is on the management of contracts under the FIDIC conditions of contract, focusing on the Red Book.

According to Lina Tutunji, the FIDIC contract workshop marks an important milestone in the collective efforts of the World Bank and governments to strengthen the quality, efficiency and resilience of the infrastructure World Bank delivers across West Africa. The training is being delivered in partnership with Ghana Consulting Engineers Association for the second year.

“As many as you know, sound procurement and contract management are fundamental to the success of any development project. Contingent upon a properly planned and executed procurement, contract management ensures not only that projects are completed on time and within budget, but that they achieve the high standards of quality and sustainability that our communities rightly expect”, Lina explained.

She noted that FIDIC conditions of contract, as a globally recognized standard, plays a central role in the contractual frameworks the World Bank uses, especially for works of contract. This is based on the agreement that the World Bank and FIDIC signed in 2017, for the use of FIDIC Standard forms of contract as part of the World Bank Standard Procurement Documents. Understanding the structure, the philosophy and the mechanism FIDIC contracts provide for risk management and dispute resolution is essential to ensuring the smooth delivery of infrastructure projects.

In his welcome address, the President of Ghana Consulting Engineers Association (GCEA), Ing. Kwabena Bempong, said, this World Bank/FIDIC training workshop helps equip participants with the tools for the proper management of contracts and more importantly correctly interprets the clauses in those documents.

He pointed out that the workshop facilitator, Engineer Abdel Hafiz Abdel Moniem, is not new to Ghana, and has a deep understanding of how we do business here in Africa. The Workshop Facilitator is a Chartered Civil Engineer with over 27 years expertise. He is a FIDIC certified Contract Manager with Masters-degree in Construction Management.