St. Kitts and Nevis (WINN)—The Caribbean Development Bank is reaffirming its commitment to modernising public procurement systems across the Caribbean with a focus on greater transparency, innovation and efficiency.
The bank made that commitment at the 20th annual conference of the Inter-American Network on Government Procurement held in Monterrey, Mexico, from August 12 to 14, 2026.
A major outcome of the conference was the adoption of the Monterrey Declaration on innovation as a driver of public procurement transformation.
The declaration identifies innovation as a key driver of public procurement reform across the Americas while calling for greater use of technology, stronger professional capacity and increased collaboration to improve transparency, accountability, competition and value for money.
For CDB’s borrowing member countries, the issue is particularly important as governments look for ways to strengthen public institutions, improve efficiency of public spending and get the greatest possible development impact from limited resources.
Acting division chief of CDB’s procurement policy division, Naomi Akoy-Bouguenon, said the declaration provides an important framework for advancing procurement reforms across the region.
She said, “Public procurement is much more than an administrative process; it is a strategic level for development with direct implications for how effectively governments translate public resources into better services and stronger outcomes for citizens”.
She said the declaration also highlights the need to embrace digital technologies, strengthen professional capacity and improve regional collaboration.
The conference also featured the inaugural EXPO INGP 2026, which brought together public and private sector leaders to showcase technological, digital and sustainable solutions aimed at transforming procurement processes.
The discussions focused on the need for procurement systems to go beyond simply meeting compliance and transparency requirements and become more agile in responding to emerging priorities, adopting new technologies and creating opportunities for innovation and sustainable development.
