AfDB-FUNDED CONFERENCE ON AFRICAN PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS CONCLUDES IN LONDON

On November 11, 2015, the African Development Bank-funded conference on African Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) concluded in London with a strong call on governments and private sector representatives to continue their efforts to scale up infrastructure investments especially in the energy, transport and water sectors in Africa.

The two-day conference, which is now its seventh year, was organised by AMETrade to promote infrastructure development and stronger PPP practices and partnerships in Africa. It was attended by 150 delegates and 32 speakers from 16 countries.

In a panel discussion, Kodeidja Diallo, Director of the AfDB’s Private Sector Department, highlighted that PPPs are a balanced solution to accelerate infrastructure provision in Africa. “Therefore, it is crucial that all stakeholders be engaged in the early stages of PPP project preparation and development in order to maximize the accrued benefits that PPP projects could generate,” she said.

At the end of the conference, a general consensus was reached among participants that the discussion today was moving from a lack of available funding for PPPs, to the availability of bankable PPPs. There was also an understanding about the need to balance the allocation of long-term risks and rewards amongst project stakeholders.

The Annual Africa PPP Conference, first organized in 2009, was held in Tunis in 2009 and 2010, in Nairobi in 2011, in Abuja in 2012, in Johannesburg in 2013 and in Abidjan in 2014.