Trinidad and Tobago national, Samantha Marchan is the recipient of the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB)’s first scholarship to complete the International Master in Public Procurement Management (IMPPM) at the University of Rome Tor Vergata.

The scholarship, which was funded by the Government of the Republic of Italy through technical assistance to CDB, provides Ms. Marchan with the full tuition fee for the postgraduate programme; travel costs to and from Italy; and an allowance to live on the University campus and for living costs.

The Senior Capacity Development Specialist revealed that she learned about the scholarship through her employer, the Office of Procurement Regulation (OPR) in Trinidad and Tobago. “There was an internal competition at work where eligible staff were invited to submit a 700–800-word essay stating why he/she should be selected and how the qualification will contribute to the immediate and long-term development of the OPR and nation-building in public procurement. All applications were evaluated by an Evaluation Committee and the selected person nominated to the CDB for consideration.”

An excited Samantha described the Scholarship award as an invaluable opportunity, “Being awarded this Scholarship is one of my greatest achievements. This Scholarship will play a significant role in assisting me in achieving my goals, which are to promote, champion, enable and support the OPR’s change implementation and to work effectively with both internal and external stakeholders. Additionally, obtaining this Scholarship means I escape the burden of having student debt at the end of my studies at the University of Rome Tor Vergata.”

CDB’s Head of Procurement, Mr. Doug Fraser congratulated Samantha noting there is a high level of interest with over 60 applications being received from 15 different countries.  He added that CDB’s support was part of the Bank’s wider support to enhance public procurement capacity and systems in the region.

"We are proud to welcome a procurement professional of great value in our IMPPM venture, the first candidate from Trinidad and Tobago in our long history of 11 years of activity with 300 graduates coming from 50 countries. The precious institutional collaboration with Caribbean Development Bank testifies of the growing focus of academic institutions and multilateral development banks on capacity building in the field of public procurement as an essential tool for countries' national progress across the world", said Professor Gustavo Piga, Director of the International Master in Public Procurement at Tor Vergata University in Rome.

Samantha joins two other Caribbean nationals who are also pursuing their IMPPM at the University of Rome Tor Vergata, Ms. Maureen Baynath from Suriname, who is sponsored by RomeExpo 2030 and Ms. Francine Brown from Jamaica.

Samantha, a CIPS certified professional said she looks forward to networking with fellow IMPPM students, while enjoying the experience of studying and living in Rome. She added, “I am eager to share the enhanced knowledge and skills I will gain with other public procurement practitioners, so that together we can change the Regional procurement landscape.”

The CDB- University of Rome Tor Vergata Scholarship was open to all citizens of CDB’s 18 Borrowing Member Countries.