AFRICA’S CONTINENTAL INTEGRATION: WHAT
ROLE DOES INFRASTRUCTURE PLAY?
Prepared for the African Economic Conference 2013
October 28-30, 2013
Johannesburg, South Africa
Conference Theme: Regional Integration in Africa
Submitted on 30th August, 2013
1
Abstract
This paper discusses the role of infrastructure development in achieving Africa’s continental
integration. It has focused on four different types of infrastructure i.e. energy, transport, transboundary water resources and information, communication and technology (ICT). Apart from
looking at efforts to develop Africa’s infrastructure at both the continental and regional levels,
the paper also summarizes challenges being faced in developing continental infrastructure. The
paper ends with some policy recommendations on what needs to be done to promote
infrastructure development in Africa.
In this paper, I have acknowledged the fact that infrastructure development is critical for
effective integration of the continent. To answering the question of whether infrastructure
development is a prerequisite for regional integration or vice versa, I have found that the two are
mutually enhancing forces because good infrastructure facilitates integration just as the ongoing
integration efforts contribute to improved infrastructure.
2
Table of Contents
Abstract ........................................................................................................................................... 2
Table of Contents ............................................................................................................................ 3
List of Acronyms ............................................................................................................................ 5
1.0
Background: ......................................................................................................................... 7
2.0
Infrastructure Development and Regional Integration ........................................................ 9
2.1
Energy Infrastructure and Regional Integration ............................................................... 9
2.2
Transport Infrastructure and Regional Integration ......................................................... 10
2.3
Trans-boundary Water Resources and Regional Integration ......................................... 10
2.4
ICT Infrastructure and Regional Integration .................................................................. 11
3.0
Efforts to Develop Africa’s Infrastructure ......................................................................... 11
3.1 The NEPAD’s Short Term Action Plan (STAP) ................................................................. 12
3.2
Medium to Long Term Strategic Framework (MLTSF) ................................................ 12
3.3
The AU/NEPAD African Action Plan (AAP)................................................................ 13
3.4
The Presidential Infrastructure Championing Initiative (PICI)...................................... 13
3.5 The Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa (PIDA) .................................... 14
4.0
Infrastructure Development in the Regional Economic Communities (RECs) ................. 15
4.1
The Economic Community for West African States (ECOWAS) ................................. 15
4.2
COMESA-EAC-SADC Tripartite FTA ......................................................................... 15
4.3
Economic Community for Central African States (ECCAS) ......................................... 16
4.4
The Arab Maghreb Union (AMU) ................................................................................. 17
4.5
The Community of Sahel-Saharan States (CEN-SAD) ................................................. 17
4.6
The Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) ....................................... 18
5.0
5.1
Key Challenges to Infrastructure Development in Africa ................................................. 18
Project Financing............................................................................................................ 18
3
5.2
Civil Wars and Conflicts ................................................................................................ 19
5.3
Lack of Transparency and Accountability ..................................................................... 19
5.4
Capacity to Develop Bankable Projects ......................................................................... 20
5.5
Rapid Population Growth ............................................................................................... 20
6.0
Recommendations and Conclusion .................................................................................... 20
6.1
Recommendations .......................................................................................................... 20
6.1.1
Encourage Public Private Partnerships (PPP) ......................................................... 20
6.1.2
Improve Capacity to Develop Bankable Projects ................................................... 21
6.1.3
Improve Implementation Coordination................................................................... 21
6.1.4
Domestication of PIDA........................................................................................... 21
6.2
Conclusion...................................................................................................................... 22
References: .................................................................................................................................... 23
Tables ............................................................................................................................................ 25
Table 1: PICI Priority Projects .................................................................................................. 25
Table 2: Selected PIDA-PAP Projects ...................................................................................... 27
4
List of Acronyms
AAP
African Action Plan
AEC
African Economic Community
AfDB
African Development Bank
AICD
African Infrastructure Country Diagnostic
AIIR
Africa Infrastructure Investment Report
AMU
Arab Maghreb Union
ATM
Air Traffic Management
AU
African Union
AUC
African Union Commission
CAR
Central African Republic
CBC
Commonwealth Business Council
CEN-SAD
Community of Sahel-Saharan States
CNS
Communication Navigation Surveillance
COMESA
Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa
DPs
Development Partners
DRC
Democratic Republic of Congo
EAC
East African Community
ECCAS
Economic Community of Central African States
ECOWAN
Economic Community of West African Network
ECOWAS
Economic Community of West African States
ESA
Eastern and Southern Africa
FTA
Free Trade Area
GCI
Global Competitiveness Indices
GDP
Gross Domestic Product
5
HSGOC
Heads of State and Government Orientation Committee
ICT
Information, Communication and Technology
IGAD
Inter-Governmental Authority on Development
IGADD
Inter-Governmental Authority on Drought and Development
LDCs
Least Developed Countries
MIP
Minimum Integration Programme
MLTSF
Medium to Long Term Strategic Framework
NEPAD
New Partnership for Africa’s Development
NPCA
NEPAD Planning and Coordinating Authority
NSC
North South Corridor
OAU
Organisation of African Unity
PAP
Priority Action Programme
PICI
Presidential Infrastructure Championing Initiative
PIDA
Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa
PPIU
Project Planning and Implementation Unit
PPP
Public Private Partnership
REC
Regional Economic Community
SACU
Southern African Customs Union
SADC
Southern African Development Community
STAP
Short Term Action Plan
TICP
Tripartite IGAD Corridor Programme
T-FTA
Tripartite FTA
UNECA
United Nations Economic Commission for Africa
UFIR
Upper Flight Information Region
WAPP
West African Power Pool
YD
Yamoussoukro Declaration
6
1.0 Background:
Regional integration remains an important agenda for the growth and development of the African
continent. African leaders have been involved in negotiating regional integration as far back as
1910, the year the Southern African Customs Union (SACU) was formed. Since that time, there
have been different of initiatives aimed at integrating African Economies. For example, the
Southern Rhodesia Customs Union involving South Africa and Zimbabwe was formed in 1949.
In 1962, Ghana and Burkina Faso established the Ghana-Upper Volta Trade Agreement and the
African Common Market, which linked Algeria, Egypt, Ghana, Guinea, Mali, and Morocco. The
Equatorial Customs Union (the predecessor of the Customs Union of Central African States),
which joined Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo and Gabon was also formed in
1962. The East African Community (EAC) which formerly comprised three countries (Tanzania,
Kenya and Uganda) started in 1967.
When the African leaders were forming the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) and the
African Union (AU) in 1963 and 2000 respectively, regional integration was still the main
agenda as evidenced by the OAU Charter and the Constitutive Act establishing the African
Union. These instruments define the ideals of the African unity whose main aim is to transform
Africa through integration. Moreover, the Lagos Plan of Action and the Abuja Treaty
establishing the African Economic Community (AEC) clearly outlines the economic, political
and institutional mechanisms needed to achieve this goal.
While some of the earlier integration efforts have been consolidated into the current initiatives,
most of them have either been abandoned or transformed but continental integration remains the
agenda of African countries.
The African Union recognizes eight regional economic communities (RECs) as building blocs
towards the formation of the African Economic Community (AEC). These are (i) The Arab
Maghreb Union (AMU), (ii) The Community of Sahel-Saharan States (CEN-SAD), (iii) The
Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), (iv) The Economic Community for
Central African States (ECCAS), (v) The Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa
(COMESA), (vi) The East African Community (EAC), (vii) The Inter-Governmental Authority
on Development (IGAD), and (viii) The Southern African Development Community (SADC).
The Abuja Treaty envisaged realization of continental integration through harmonization of such
RECs.
So far, a lot has been done to achieve continental integration. For example, the EAC, SADC and
COMESA are negotiating the Tripartite FTA as a building block for the AEC. In 2009, the
African Union (AU) developed the Minimum Integration Programme (MIP) as a mechanism for
spearheading convergence of RECs. Using MIP, AU envisages enhanced continental integration
leading to establishment of the AEC as members benefit from one another’s comparative
advantages, best practices and experiences in the area of integration. To fast-track Africa’s
7
integration, the African Union Commission (AUC), during the AU Assembly in Banjul, The
Gambia, in 2006, recommended recognizing eight RECs as building blocks thereby putting a
moratorium on the formation of new RECs. The AU, therefore, is encouraging rationalization
and harmonization of policies and programmes among different RECs in order to achieve
continental integration.
Despite these efforts, continental integration remains elusive as evidenced by very low intraAfrican trade. Compared to intra-regional trade in other parts of the world, trade among African
states does not suggest that the continent is integrating. Ranging from 10 to 12 per cent, intraAfrican trade is still lower when compared to over 40 per cent in North America and about 63
per cent in Western Europe.
The low levels of intra-African trade are attributed to a number of reasons. African economies
mainly export raw materials whose demand is externally1 oriented. Most countries trade in
similar products and they lack industrial capacity to diversify exports that would support intraregional trade. Despite liberalizing trade among each other, tariffs and nontariff barriers remain a
serious obstacle to intra-African trade. For example road blocks and check points, and
inconsistent procedures and regulations continue to be serious challenges to intra-African trade.
Insecurity is another main obstacle especially in West Africa, and other parts of the continent. In
such cases, countries tend to trade less with each other since they cannot trust each other.
Chief among the obstacles to intra-African trade is said to be poor infrastructure as it remains
weak in many African countries. As a result of poor infrastructure, many businesses in Africa
fail because of high operational costs which make their business uncompetitive. Many African
countries experience massive power outages that stifle industrialization and other economic
progress.
Transport infrastructure on the African continent continues to be weak to the extent that trade
and economic growth are stifled. Inadequate road and rail networks and insufficient port
facilities, contribute to high transportation costs2, which in turn undermines Africa’s export
competitiveness on the global markets. Thus, apart from impeding Africa’s intra-regional trade
and integration, poor infrastructure is a recipe for the continent’s marginalization in global
integration.
There is an ongoing debate among regional integration experts on whether infrastructure
development should take precedence to regional integration or vice versa. The question that
needs to be answered is whether infrastructure development is a prerequisite for regional
1
Africa countries export most of their products to the international market and very little is traded among
themselves.
2
In most African countries, transport inefficiencies contribute about 75% to the price of Africa’s exports (AfDB, 15 th
May
2013)
http://www.afdb.org/en/news-and-events/article/developing-african-infrastructure-for-thecontinents-structural-transformation-11790/. Accessed on 17th July, 2013.
8
integration or regional integration leads to infrastructure development. Put differently, does
Africa need infrastructure to achieve continental integration or continental integration will lead
to infrastructure development. In this paper, I have answered this question by analyzing the
importance of infrastructure in regional integration. In view of this, I have looked at various
initiatives being done to develop Africa’s infrastructure as well as challenges being faced. The
rest of the paper is organized as follows: Section Two outlines an investigation on the role of
infrastructure (energy, transport, ICT and trans-boundary water resources) in achieving
meaningful integration; Section Three highlights some of the efforts that have been undertaken
to develop continental infrastructure; Section Four gives an overview of regional initiatives to
develop infrastructure; Section Five summarizes the challenges being faced in developing
continental infrastructure; and Section Six gives some policy recommendations and conclusion.
2.0 Infrastructure Development and Regional Integration
Africa is seen as a land of opportunities and an emerging destination of choice for investors as
they look for high-growth markets (AU, PIDA p. 1). Africa is home to many natural resources
including minerals that are essential for the growth and development of the world. However, the
continent is not able to reap the full benefits of its resources and develop its economies largely
due to infrastructure bottlenecks. Improving Africa’s infrastructure network would, therefore,
provide a framework conducive for industrial development and enable the agricultural sector
effectively contribute to economic growth. It should be noted that many African economies are
agro-based and mainly trade in raw materials. Thus, infrastructure development would ensure
value addition and growth of non-farm enterprises which in turn would rejuvenate rural
economies.
Advances in infrastructure development will also create a shift from overseas trade and promote
intra-African trade. The biggest constraint to Africa’s growth and competitiveness has been
fragmented, inadequate and underperforming infrastructure systems. Under the current status,
Africa’s infrastructure does not promote trade between countries let alone trade within and
across regions. The transport systems that were used by the colonials to export raw materials to
their countries are still being used today because there have not been major
changes/improvements to this infrastructure. This is one of the major reasons why Africa’s trade
is oriented towards former colonial master economies. Infrastructure development that target
continental markets would, therefore, promote intra-African trade, unlocking Africa’s potential
and achieve effective continental integration.
2.1
Energy Infrastructure and Regional Integration
Insufficient energy infrastructure is one of the factors negatively affecting competitiveness of
African products. For any company to produce goods or services, energy plays an important role.
9
Poor energy infrastructure entails that the cost of accessing energy is also high. This negatively
affects productivity of firms. To effectively participate in regional integration, the continent
requires improved access to affordable energy that will help to reduce the production costs
thereby making African economies competitive both at the continental and international level.
Thus, a country would require reliable energy to effectively participate in regional integration
since energy supply that is free from interruptions and shortages would ensure that businesses
and factories work unimpeded. Apart from promoting cooperation between countries, regional
integration is concerned with the exchange of tradable goods and services and energy enables
firms to produce these products. Without trading, regional integration would be meaningless.
Improved energy infrastructure would encourage trade in energy among African countries
thereby encouraging regional cooperation and integration. As such, Africa should develop the
energy sector to ensure that economies have capacity to competitively produce goods and
services.
2.2
Transport Infrastructure and Regional Integration
Transport infrastructure is among the main challenges to effective regional integration in Africa.
Reliable transport infrastructure is essential in improving any country’s competitiveness and
enable it efficiently participate in regional integration initiatives. The impact of poor transport
infrastructure and logistics is particularly severe for landlocked countries. This is because
distance to the sea is long and when the transport infrastructure is poor, it forces landlocked
states to incur an additional cost. It is estimated that landlocked developing countries pay almost
four times more for transport services than developed countries, and transport costs in Africa are
among the highest in the world (AU/NEPAD AAP, 2010-2015 p. 25). For landlocked African
countries, most of whom are the Least Developed Countries (LDCs), transport costs can be as
high as 70 per cent. To participate in any regional arrangement, countries have to import and
export goods and services and high transportation costs make their products uncompetitive
thereby limiting their participation. Improvement of transport infrastructure will, therefore,
unlock Africa’s potential by reducing the cost of doing business and increase intraregional trade
as countries become competitive.
2.3
Trans-boundary Water Resources and Regional Integration
Water is life and is a universal input into all areas of human activity including massive projects
being implemented under regional integration initiatives. Africa’s growing population is exerting
pressure on already limited water supplies. Africa has 59 international trans-boundary river
basins, 15 principal lakes, 38 trans-boundary aquifer systems, and 24 main watersheds that cross
the manmade political boundaries of two or more countries (AU/NEPAD AAP, 2010-2015 p.
34).
Trans-boundary water resources are critical for averting the effects of climate change in
countries that share these resources. They can be used to generate electricity, promote irrigation
farming as well as be used for transporting goods thereby contributing to promoting regional
10
integration. It should also be noted that most of these water resources are currently being affected
by climate change and combined efforts to mitigate the impact of climate change will go a long
way in averting climate change impact. Thus, regional integration is important to the
preservation of trans-boundary water resources just as they are important for regional integration
in Africa.
2.4
ICT Infrastructure and Regional Integration
ICT is an important element of regional integration in Africa but the sector remains undeveloped.
Apart from inadequate skills base, other challenges to ICT development in Africa include lack of
a backbone infrastructure and appropriate policy and regulatory environment. In many countries
ICT infrastructure is concentrated in urban areas leaving rural areas out of reach. An advanced
ICT sector would facilitate trade and social exchanges between African countries through
enhanced productivity, reduced communication costs and improved financial inclusion thereby
promoting continental integration. With this in mind, African countries have embarked initiatives
aimed at developing the ICT infrastructure and synchronize ICT policies and regulatory
frameworks as articulated in the Kigali Protocol.
3.0 Efforts to Develop Africa’s Infrastructure
African leaders recognize that infrastructure development is the foundation upon which the
continent’s integration and development rests. The African Union, in their new strategic plan
(2014-2017), has designated infrastructure development as a means of achieving the third
priority
area
(http://summits.au.int/en/21stsummit/events/african-unioncommission%E2%80%99s-strategic-plan-2014-2017-adopted-assembly)3. This shows the
centrality of infrastructure in attaining an integrated, prosperous and inclusive Africa. It has been
observed that improved infrastructure has enabled Africa achieve improved economic growth
and development and that poor infrastructure holds back economic growth. The Common Wealth
Business Council (CBC ) 2013: 2013 pp. 11-12, explained that lack of infrastructure in Africa is
responsible for low competitiveness evidenced by low global competitiveness indices (GCIs). It
is reported that GCIs for Africa are lower than those of other regions of the world because
infrastructure in those regions is relatively better than in Africa.
3
The AUC Strategic Plan (2014-2017) has eight priority areas namely: (i) Human capacity development; (ii)
Agriculture and agro processing; (iii) Inclusive economic development; (iv) Peace, stability and good governance;
(v)
Mainstreaming
women
and
youth
into
all
our
activities;
(vi)
Resource
mobilisation;
(vii)
Building
a
people-centred
Union;
and
(viii) Strengthening the institutional capacity of the Union and all its organs.
11
There have been a number of initiatives aimed at developing the continent’s infrastructure. These
include: (i) the NEPAD’s Short Term Action Plan (STAP) (ii) The Medium to Long Term
Strategic Framework (MLTSF) (iii) The AU/NEPAD African Action Plan (AAP); (iv) The
Presidential Infrastructure Championing Initiative (PICI); and (v) The Programme on
Infrastructure Development in Africa (PIDA). It is expected that regional economic integration
will be promoted by bridging Africa’s infrastructure gap. According to the NEPAD Secretariat,
there can be no meaningful development without trade and there can be no trade without
adequate and reliable infrastructure (http://www.nepad.org/regionalintegrationandinfrastructure).
3.1 The NEPAD’s Short Term Action Plan (STAP)
STAP was launched in 2002 to address specific infrastructure development problems including
facilitation, capacity building, physical and capital projects, and studies required to prepare
future projects. The Sectoral Overviews identified infrastructure gaps and related strategic
challenges that depend on regional collaboration and joint actions at the level of the continent as
well as sub-regions. Projects were included in STAP provided that they: (i) were at an advanced
stage of preparation and could be fast-tracked; (ii) supported both regional approach to
infrastructure provision and integration; (iii) have stalled for political reasons and NEPAD
intervention could be expected to make a difference; and (iv) offer solution to regional policy
regulatory and institutional constraints to regional infrastructure activities.
The review of STAP in 2003 revealed that remarkable progress was made in implementing
projects across the regions. However, it was noted that, to improve implementation of STAP,
there was need to address a number of issues including clarifying the role of NEPAD with regard
to political support and access to funding; support to the RECs in their enhanced role as
implementing agents and coordinators; the need to sharpen the focus of NEPAD program and
prioritize projects/initiatives; and the need to establish a monitoring system for project/program
implementation
(NEPAD
Infrastructure
Development
http://www.nepadst.org/doclibrary/pdfs/doc13_102003.pdf). In brief, the review of STAP
recommended that a limited number of programs/projects be designated as NEPAD Flagship
Projects and given special attention and high visibility.
3.2
Medium to Long Term Strategic Framework (MLTSF)
Launched in 2006, the MLTSF represented a shift from the short term to the long term focus on
infrastructure investment. The overall objective of the MLTSF was, therefore, to provide a
framework for guiding the continuous and consistent development of infrastructure on the
continent based on coherent strategic goals, and define and institute a monitoring framework for
tracking progress. The MTSF has established a common vision among all stakeholders by
fostering cross-fertilization and dissemination of good practices on NEPAD infrastructure
program.
12
The African Infrastructure Country Diagnostic (AICD) study was also conducted to consolidate
the MLTSF. The Study helped to provide details on the fiscal cost of infrastructure i.e. how
much public money goes to infrastructure. It also highlighted the participating country’s
investment needs in terms of social and economic demands as well as show performance of
existing infrastructure.
3.3
The AU/NEPAD African Action Plan (AAP)
This programme was first conceived in 2005/2006 in a drive to fast track the implementation of
Africa’s development and initiatives (AU/NEPAD AAP, 2010-2015 p. 6). However, this plan
was revised in 2008 when stakeholders felt that the plan lacked context for its priorities, a clear
indication on the status of the projects, and a reliable basis for resource requirements. The
revised plan (2010-2015) presented a detailed analysis of the context for the priority programmes
and projects.
The key infrastructure projects that were targeted by AAP were those in energy, transport, ICT,
and trans-boundary water but implementation of these projects was negligible and only a small
number of projects were implemented. As a precursor to PIDA, AAP was used as short-term
engagement with Development Partners (DPs) to accelerate progress in implementing Africa’s
priority projects for the period 2010-2012.
3.4
The Presidential Infrastructure Championing Initiative (PICI)
The NEPAD Heads of State and Government Orientation Committee (HSGOC) in Kampala,
Uganda in July 2010 adopted the Presidential Infrastructure Championing Initiative (PICI) and
the AU adopted PICI projects at the 16th AU Summit in January 2011. PICI is an African-driven
infrastructure programme for the continent with the aim of providing links for people and goods
to move between markets and places, and to contribute to the overall economic development of
the continent. Through this initiative, the African Heads of State are providing the necessary
political leadership in the development of cross-border infrastructure projects. While countries
are developing their infrastructure, it is important that there is coordination to ensure that
harmonization in the infrastructure and PICI is a prerequisite for the successful completion of
these projects. It is anticipated that these projects will unlock the economic potential of the
continent and provide development opportunities for the communities, cities and regions. Table
1, which has been given as Annex shows priority projects under PICI.
13
3.5 The Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa
(PIDA)
PIDA is a continental initiative based on regional4 infrastructure projects and programmes. This
programme was developed after various studies, analyses and forums revealed that poor
infrastructure is one of the biggest hurdles to Africa’s growth and development. PIDA was
developed by the African Union Commission (AUC) in partnership with the African
Development Bank (AfDB), the NEPAD Planning and Coordinating Agency (NPCA), the
United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) and the Regional Economic
Communities (RECs) with inputs from the African countries. It was approved in January 2012
by the African Heads of State and Government during the 18th AU Summit in Addis Ababa.
Focusing on transport, energy, ICT and trans-boundary water networks infrastructure, PIDA
provides a strategic framework necessary for boosting intra-regional trade, economic growth and
development as well as employment creation and poverty reduction in Africa. In summary,
PIDA is an African initiative developed by Africans to develop African infrastructure for
Africa’s growth and development.
PIDA has selected some projects to be completed by 2020. These projects are given high priority
and have been included in the PIDA Priority Action Plan (PAP). The PAP is made up of 51
projects and programmes: 15 energy; 24 transport; 9 trans-boundary water; 3 ICT. They focus
on: (a) hydropower, interconnections, pipelines (energy); (b) connectivity, corridor
modernization, ports and railways modernization, air transport modernization (transport);
(c) multipurpose dams, capacity building, water transfer (water); and (d) capacity building, land
interconnection infrastructure, internet exchange points (ICT) – (http://www.mrdeafrica.org/appendices/box3programmeforinfrastructuredevelopmentinafricapida.htm). Table 2,
which is appears in the annex shows some5 of the projects in the PIDA Priority Action Plan
(PAP).
Implementation of PIDA is dependent on the initiatives of Regional Economic Communities
(RECs), Member States and specialized agencies to develop infrastructure in Africa. As already
noted, the African Union has designated eight RECs (AMU, CEN-SAD, ECOWAS, ECCAS,
COMESA, EAC, IGAD, and SADC) as building blocks to the African Economic Community
(AEC). It is through these RECs that PIDA is expected to be implemented.
4
The Regional Economic Communities (RECs) recognized by the African Union as building blocks to the African
Economic Community (AEC) are AMU, CEN-SAD, ECOWAS, ECCAS, COMESA, EAC, IGAD, and SADC.
5
PIDA-PAP has 51 priority projects but Table 2 only shows a few of these projects. A full list can be obtained at
http://www.afdb.org/fileadmin/uploads/afdb/Documents/Project-andOperations/PIDA%20note%20English%20for%20web%200208.pdf.
14
4.0 Infrastructure Development in the Regional Economic
Communities (RECs)
4.1
The
Economic
Community
for
West
African
States
(ECOWAS)
Established in 1975, ECOWAS is a fifteen Member States6 organization with a population of
about 300 million. Infrastructure deficit is recognized to be one of the major challenges to the
region’s growth and development. Major infrastructural challenges include road and railway
networks requiring rehabilitation and maintenance as well as full construction on some to
facilitate freight movement and support intra-community trade; seaports nearing capacity and
require expansion to accommodate increased container traffic; energy infrastructure requiring
investments in areas of generation, access and interconnection to aid power pooling potential;
and ICT infrastructure requiring upgrading to ensure maximum connectivity among Member
States (CBC: 2013 pp 25-26).
ECOWAS has designated infrastructure as one of priorities to be pursued in the next five years
(ECOWAS Strategic Plan, 2011-2015). To promote infrastructure development in the ECOWAS
region, the community intends to improve rural access to energy and energy services as well as
develop multimodal transport systems to improve connectivity between member states. The
region also intends to reduce cost and enhance provision of infrastructure services and increase
involvement of the private sector and public-private partnership (PPP) in infrastructure
development. It is also the intention of ECOWAS to secure adequate funding for infrastructure
projects, facilitating member states’ access to funds and securing foreign capital and expertise.
According to AIIR 2013 pp. 26-28, ECOWAS is implementing a number of infrastructure
projects in transport, ICT, rail, and energy sector. These include the Trans-West African Coastal
Highway (Dakar to Lagos), Trans-West African Sahelian Highway (Nouakchott-DakarN’Djamena), the Abidjan-Ouagadougou-Niamey-Cotonou Railway, the ECOWAS Wide Area
Network (ECOWAN), West Africa Power Pool (WAPP).
4.2
COMESA-EAC-SADC Tripartite FTA
The Tripartite FTA region comprise 26 countries with a combined population of 527 million
people, a combined Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of US$ 624 billion, a GDP per capita
averaging US$1,184 and make up half of the African Union (AU) in terms of membership and
6
ECOWAS Member States are Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Cote Divoire, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea
Bisau, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Siera Leone, and Togo (http://ecowas.int/).
15
just over 58% in terms of contribution to GDP and 57% of the total population of the African
Union.
One of the objectives of the Tripartite FTA is to attract private investment through public-private
partnerships to fill the infrastructure deficit in the region (Cronje J.B: 2012 http://www.tralac.org). To do this, the three RECs (COMESA, EAC and SADC) are jointly
implementing a number of infrastructure projects including the North South Corridor; the Upper
Flight Information Region (UFIR); Liberalization of Air Transport in line with the
Yamoussoukro Decision (YD); Tripartite (COMESA-EAC-SADC) Project Preparation and
Implementation Unit (PPIU); and the Zambia, Tanzania and Kenya Power interconnector. Under
the NSC, the Tripartite FTA will develop a road and railway that will pass through eleven
countries namely: South Africa, Botswana, Mozambique, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Namibia,
Tanzania, Malawi, Swaziland, DRC and Angola. The main objective of UFIR project is to
enhance efficiency in the management of the upper airspace to bring down navigational costs to
air transport operators and improve civil aviation safety. Under the Zambia, Tanzania and Kenya
interconnector, the T-FTA wants to link the Southern Africa Power Pool and the Eastern Africa
Power Pool (EAC: http://www.eac.int/).
Apart from implementing joint projects, RECs of the T-FTA are also implementing individual
projects. For example, COMESA is implementing such projects as Airspace Integration Project
under which COMESA is replacing ground-based air navigation aids by satellite-based air
navigation technology known as Communication Navigation Surveillance/Air Traffic
Management (CNS/ATM) – (AfDB: http://www.afdb.org/en/news-and-events/article/afdbsupports-regional-infrastructure-development-us-8-6-million-grant-for-comesa-unified-airspace7185/). COMESA has also a number of institutions involved in infrastructure development
which include the PTA Bank and the COMESA Infrastructure Fund which are used to finance
infrastructure investments.
4.3
Economic Community for Central African States (ECCAS)
ECCAS was established on 18th October 1983 and is a 10 Member States driven body. Members
of ECCAS are Angola, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo
(Brazzaville), DRC, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and Sao Tome and Principe. Development of
regional infrastructure is at the heart of ECCAS. Chapter IX of the ECCAS Treaty outlines the
region’s focus
on
infrastructure development
(ECCAS
Treaty:
pp. 32-33
http://www1.chr.up.ac.za/undp/subregional/docs/eccas1.pdf).
In keeping with Africa’s vision of integrating the continent by improving infrastructure, ECCAS
is implementing a number of projects such as transport, energy and the telecommunication
infrastructure (AfDB, 2011: pp. 14-15). However, given the sensitivity of the ecosystems in
Central Africa, implementation of these projects are accompanied by environmental restoration
16
and regeneration infrastructure consistent with carbon stock maintenance and efforts to avoid
degradation of carbon dioxide absorption potential.
The ICT project, also known as the Central African Backbone Project, will be jointly
implemented with ECOWAS and will span 25 countries in West African and Central African
States. It is envisaged that developed ICT infrastructure will contributes to the regional
interconnectivity and ensure reduced communication costs which will attracts investors.
4.4
The Arab Maghreb Union (AMU)
AMU is a five-member state organization comprising of Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco,
and Tunisia. The treaty establishing AMU was signed on 17th February, 1989. The main
objective of the treaty is to strengthen all forms of ties among Member States in order to ensure
regional stability and enhance policy coordination (AMU: http://www.africaunion.org/root/au/recs/AMUOverview.pdf). The treaty also intends to introduce free circulation
of goods, services and factors of production among Member States.
Despite facing some challenges7, AMU is committed to developing infrastructure in its Member
States. To emphasize on this commitment, in January 2013, the Union established an Investment
Bank with initial capital of about US$100 million. According to Sid Ahmed Ould Raiss, the
Governor of the Central Bank of Mauritania, the bank will be financing development projects
such as highways, promoting new technologies, and energy (Aljazeera: 10th January 2013,
http://www.aljazeera.com/).
4.5
The Community of Sahel-Saharan States (CEN-SAD)
CEN-SAD is an eighteen Member States organization involving Benin, Burkina Faso, Central
African Republic (CAR), Chad, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Gambia, Libya, Mali, Morocco, Niger,
Nigeria, Senegal, Somali Democratic Republic, Sudan, Togo and Tunisia. It was established on
4th February 1998. CEN-SAD works together other regional economic communities and the
African Union (AU) to strengthen peace, security and stability to achieve regional economic and
social development. Among others, CEN-SAD intends to remove all restrictions hampering
integration of its Member States.
7
AMU has been facing challenges due to tension between Morocco and Algeria over Western Sahara. This tension
has hindered decision-making and the operation of the union, with no summit organized since 1994. The decision
to establish the bank was first proposed in 1991, but could not be launched.
17
4.6
The Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD)
IGAD is a seven-country member organization with Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia,
Sudan and Uganda as Member States. Formed in 1996, IGAD proceeded Inter-Governmental
Authority on Drought and Development (IGADD) an institution that was mandated to deal with
issues of drought and desertification from the late 1980 to early 1990’s. Apart from cooperating
in conflict prevention, management and resolution and humanitarian affairs; and food security
and environmental protection, IGAD is also cooperating in infrastructure development especially
in transport, energy and communication.
So far, IGAD has collaborated with COMESA and EAC to divide projects among themselves to
avoid duplication and approaching the same donors with the same projects. For example, IGAD
in conjunction with the Tripartite FTA between COMESA-SADC-EAC are implementing the
North South Corridor (NSC) project and the Power Transmission interconnectors under the
framework called the Tripartite and IGAD Corridor Programme ((TICP). This project is
expected to make the Eastern and Southern African (ESA) region more competitive by reducing
the high costs of transport, trade and energy, thereby creating higher levels of economic growth,
employment
creation
and
poverty
reduction
(TICP,
2011:
http://igad.int/attachments/349_tripartite_igad_infrastructure_communiqie.pdf).
5.0 Key Challenges to Infrastructure Development in Africa
Africa is facing a number of challenges in its efforts to develop infrastructure. The following are
some of them:
5.1
Project Financing
Africa faces a daunting task to source funding for infrastructure development. The PIDA puts
US$360 billion as a total financing requirement up to 2040. Of this, the PIDA Priority Action
Plan (PIDA-PAP) which constitutes 51 priority investment programmes and projects in energy,
transport, ICT and trans-boundary water is estimated at US$67.9 billion up to the year 2020.
Getting these resources is a serious problem. In Africa, Governments have traditionally played
an important role in financing investments in infrastructure. However, the capacity of these
Governments to raise the required money to implement PIDA is very doubtful. Most of the
African Governments are very poor and to raise such huge sums of money for infrastructure
projects would entail neglecting other equally important sectors such as health.
Currently, Africa continues to rely on support from Development Partners in developing its
infrastructure. This is not a healthy situation because the Development Partners cannot afford to
18
finance all infrastructure projects on the continent. The financial crisis has revealed that
Development Partners will not continue to be dependable in financing Africa’s infrastructure
investments. Levels of assistance have dwindled as a result of the crisis in the developed
countries. To develop its infrastructure, Africa needs alternative sources of funds and the African
Development Bank (AfDB) is playing a key role in that respect.
5.2
Civil Wars and Conflicts
This is a challenge in Africa as evidenced by civil wars and conflicts in many African countries.
Conflicts and civil wars are simply not complementary to growth and sustainability of
infrastructure facilities. Apart from taking human lives that could be used to develop
infrastructure, civil wars and conflicts divert resources to financing wars and conflicts leading to
deterioration in infrastructure. As countries go into war, they neglect infrastructure investment
and buy equipment for wars. If the resources that have been spend on wars and conflicts could be
turned into investments in infrastructure, the condition of Africa’s investment could have been
improved.
5.3
Lack of Transparency and Accountability
While the continent is making significant strides in promoting good governance and
accountability, there are still some hot spots that are likely to stifle infrastructure development in
Africa. With the six of the world’s ten most rapidly expanding economies located in Africa, it
should be appealing to investors to come to Africa. The private sector is likely to generate
returns on their investment if they invest in the continent that is growing. However, conditions
prevailing in individual economies will determine the actual levels of investments going to those
countries.
It should be noted that, as business entities, the private investors look for certain pre-conditions
before they commit their resources. For example, the private investors will be interested to invest
in projects that are high priority to governments and are likely to come to conclusion (Deloitte,
http://www.deloitte.com/). This is a serious problem to many African Governments. In most
cases, infrastructure projects are not quickly finalized because of corruption. Projects are started
and abandoned because resources have been abused and if they are completed they take long and
in most cases quality of the infrastructure is compromised because resources were diverted.
Policy instability is another hurdle to infrastructure development in Africa. With government
changing every four to five years, development policies are not stable and are dependent on the
government of the day. In such cases, policies keep changing and this affects implementation of
projects. You would find that one government started a good infrastructure project and when
government changes there will be a shift in policy resulting into abandonment of projects. If the
continent is to attract investments in infrastructure, this has to change.
19
5.4
Capacity to Develop Bankable Projects
Many African Governments lack the capacity to develop projects to a stage where they are ready
for financing. This is a significant bottleneck that is contributing to under-development of
Africa’s infrastructure. Before Development Partners come to assist in infrastructure
development, African Governments need to have bankable projects that can be financed. The
capacity to develop projects to such levels is still scarce in many countries in Africa.
5.5
Rapid Population Growth
High population growth on the continent is one of the contributing factors to underdevelopment
of infrastructure. Rapid population growth places enormous challenges on existing, and often
obsolete and poorly maintained infrastructure and resources (Deloitte: http://www.deloitte.com/).
It is disheartening to see many African countries still using infrastructure that was developed by
the colonial governments some fifty years ago. Most of this infrastructure has surpassed its life
span but countries still rely on them. It may be that when the infrastructure was being developed
it was matching the then population but cannot support the current population.
6.0 Recommendations and Conclusion
6.1
Recommendations
It is an undeniable fact that Africa require suitable infrastructure to effectively integrate the
continent. However, the challenges highlighted above need to be address to ensure that the
continent’s infrastructure is sustainably developed. The following could be some of the
recommendations that would help to achieve this objective.
6.1.1 Encourage Public Private Partnerships (PPP)
PPPs can offer innovative ways of delivering efficient and cost-effective infrastructure and
services. Governments and public authorities are increasingly turning to PPP arrangements when
implementing development projects and programmes. According to Cronje J.B. (2012),
development of infrastructure should not only be viewed as government responsibility but also
that of the private sector. Trade in services entail that infrastructure services should also be
viewed as commercial economic activities that must operate efficiently to satisfy customers’
needs. There is need to change the way projects are implemented. Projects need to be self
sustaining to ensure continued benefit of the projects to the continental integration agenda. This
entails allowing the private sector to participate in the provision of infrastructure services.
20
PPPs can help public sector organizations shorten implementation periods, share risks, achieve
better value for money and increase innovation in infrastructure programmes. Under PPP, the
private sector uses their skills, knowledge and experiences to implement projects and is able to
mobilize financial resources for projects. These arrangements, however, are highly complex
policy instruments which need to be fully understood, professionally implemented and managed
if they are to deliver on their potential. There is also need for political will to make decisions in a
quick and transparent manner so that the private investors have confidence in the public
authorities. PPPs can offer a solution to financial challenges that most governments in Africa
experience but they need commitment from government if they are to deliver expected results.
6.1.2 Improve Capacity to Develop Bankable Projects
For a project to attract funding, it should be bankable. Financiers would not be interested to
bankroll projects whose implementation framework is not clear. It should be pointed out that
even private investors would not want to be involved in projects that have no clear
implementation timelines. They would rather focus on markets where there is capacity to
implement projects successfully.
6.1.3 Improve Implementation Coordination
Since the vision of developing infrastructure in Africa cuts across regions and nations, it is
imperative to encourage coordination at these levels. PIDA envisages infrastructure development
on the basis of RECs infrastructure programmes. It should also be noted that regional
programmes, to a large extent, depend on infrastructure programmes of Member States. There is,
therefore, need to domesticate PIDA to ensure its implementation lest it remain a programme on
paper.
Successful implementation of infrastructure projects in Africa will require improved
coordination at all levels. It is encouraging to note that within RECs, Member States are working
together to develop regional infrastructure and different RECs are also collaborating in
developing cross-regional infrastructure. For example, within SADC, Member States are in a
process of establishing an Infrastructure Development Fund which will be used to develop
regional infrastructure. In addition, the COMESA-EAC-SADC Tripartite FTA is collaborating
with IGAD to develop the North South Corridor which is a cross-regional project. This kind of
cooperation should also be encouraged in other African regions.
6.1.4 Domestication of PIDA
Since implementation of the PIDA is dependent on RECs, it is important that Member States of
these RECs are sensitized on the importance of PIDA to ensure ownership of the regional
projects. Even at the national level, all the stakeholders need to be aware of these regional
programmes and should know what benefits they will bring to them. If this cannot be done, it
will be very difficult to implement some of the projects outlined in the PIDA.
21
6.2
Conclusion
Infrastructure development is critical for the effective integration of the African continent. Africa
faces a lot of infrastructure challenges which when improved would enable the continent to be
competitive. With numerous resources, Africa is a land of opportunities and improving
continental infrastructure would promote intra-African trade, unlocking Africa’s potential and
achieve effective continental integration.
Efforts to integrate the continent have mainly focused on management of the integration process
rather than dealing the critical challenges of integration. The paper has observed that much has
been achieved in regional integration as evidenced by formation of various RECs which have
also been recognized by the African Union as building blocks to the AEC. However, their
effectiveness is questionable since intra-African trade remains low. In this paper, I have
explained that continental infrastructure, which is still weak, is the main culprit. Therefore, in
answering the question of whether infrastructure development is a prerequisite for regional
integration or vice versa, the paper concludes that the two are mutually enhancing forces because
good infrastructure among African countries will facilitate regional integration just as the
ongoing regional integration efforts will contribute to improvement of infrastructure.
22
References:
1. African Development Bank (AfDB) (2011). Central Africa Regional Integration
Strategy Paper (RISP), 2011-2015. Regional Department Centre (ORCE), NEPAD,
Regional Integration and Trade Department (ONRI)
2. African Development Bank (AfDB) (2010) AfDB Supports Regional Infrastructure
Development US$8.6 million Grant for COMESA Unified Airspace. Available at
http://www.afdb.org/en/news-and-events/article/afdb-supports-regional-infrastructuredevelopment-us-8-6-million-grant-for-comesa-unified-airspace-7185/. Accessed on 25th
August 2013.
3. African Union Commission (AUC). Strategic Plan 2014-2017. Adopted by Assembly.
Available
at
http://summits.au.int/en/21stsummit/events/african-unioncommission%E2%80%99s-strategic-plan-2014-2017-adopted-assembly. Accessed on
22nd August 2013.
4. Aljazeera (10th January, 2013). Arab Maghreb Union Launches Investment Bank.
Available at http://www.aljazeera.com/. Accessed on 27th August 2013.
5. Arab Maghreb Union (AMU) Profile: Arab Maghreb Union (AMU). Available at
http://www.africa-union.org/root/au/recs/AMUOverview.pdf. Accessed on 27th August
2013.
6. AU, PIDA, Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa (PIDA). Available
at
http://www.au-pida.org/sites/default/files/PIDA%20Executive%20Summary%20%20English_re.pdf. Accessed on 15th July 2013.
7. Common Wealth Business Council (CBC) – (2013) Africa Infrastructure Investment
Report (AIIR). Buxton Press, London.
8. Cronje J.B. (2012) Infrastructure development in the COMESA-EAC-SADC
Tripartite Free Trade Area. Trade Law Centre (Tralac) South Africa. Available at
http://www.tralac.org/2012/04/18/infrastructure-development-in-the-comesa-eac-sadctripartite-free-trade-area/. Accessed on 26th August 2013.
9. Deloitte. Addressing Africa’s Infrastructure Challenges. Available
http://www.deloitte.com/assets/DcomSouthAfrica/Local%20Assets/Documents/Africa%20Infrastructure%20Final.pdf.
Accessed on 28th August 2013.
at
10. East African Community (EAC) COMESA-EAC-SADC Tripartite Framework: State
of Play. Available at http://www.eac. Accessed on 25th August 2013.
23
11. Economic Community for Central African States (ECCAS). Treaty Establishing the
Economic
Community
of
West
African
States.
Available
at
http://www1.chr.up.ac.za/undp/subregional/docs/eccas1.pdf. Accessed on 27th August
2013.
12. Economic Commission for West African States (ECOWAS) Commission. ECOWAS
Member States. Available at http://ecowas.int/. Accessed on 23rd August 2013.
13. ECOWAS-CEDEAO (2010) Regional Strategic Plan (2011-2015). The Reader Friendly
Version. A Proactive Mechanism for Change.
14. Mutual Review of Development Effectiveness in Africa. Box 3: Programme for
Infrastructure Development in Africa. Available on http://www.mrdeafrica.org/appendices/box3programmeforinfrastructuredevelopmentinafricapida.htm).
Accessed on 25th August 2013.
15. NEPAD, Transforming Africa. A technical body of the African Union. Thematic Home
Page. (http://www.nepad.org/regionalintegrationandinfrastructure). Accessed on 23rd
August 2013.
16. NEPAD (2011) Revision of the AU/NEPAD African Action Plan 2010-2015.
Advancing Regional Integration and Continental Integration in Africa Together Through
Shared Values. Abridged Report 2010-2012. Johannesburg, South Africa. Available at
http://www.nepad.org/system/files/AAP%20final%20web%20130111.pdf. Accessed on
23rd August 2013.
17. New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) Infrastructure Development.
Preparation of a Medium to Long Term Plan of Action/Strategic Framework
(MLTSF).
Briefing
Note.
Available
at
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2013.
18. The Tripartite and IGAD Corridor Programme (TICP) – 2011. Tripartite and IGAD
Infrastructure Investment Conference 28-29th September 2011, Nairobi, Kenya.
Available
at
http://igad.int/attachments/349_tripartite_igad_infrastructure_communiqie.pdf. Accessed
on 27th August 2013.
24
Tables
Table 1: PICI Priority Projects
Name of
Champion
Project
Missing
Algeria
Links of the
Trans-Sahara
Highway
Beneficiary
Affected
Countries
RECs
Algeria,
ECOWAS,
Niger,
AMU
Nigeria,
Tunisia,
Mali
and
Chad
Project Description
The Sub-Saharan Highway is a 4500Km
transnational highway running between
North Africa, bordered by the Mediterranean
Sea and the West Africa, bordered by the
Atlantic Ocean.
The missing link is 200Km from Asasamaka
to Arlit in Niger. It is currently a marked
track over sand sheet.
Optic Fibre Algeria
Project
Along
the
NigeriaAlgeria Gas
Pipeline
Project
Alignment
DakarSenegal
NdjamenaDjibouti
Road
and
Rail Project
North-South South
Corridor
Africa
Road
and
Rail Project
Algeria,
ECOWAS,
Niger and AMU
Nigeria
Senegal,
Mali,
Burkina
Faso, Niger,
Nigeria,
Cameroon,
Chad,
Sudan,
Ethiopia,
and Djibouti
South
Africa,
Botswana,
Mozambiqu
e, Zambia,
Zimbabwe,
Namibia,
Tanzania,
Malawi,
ECOWAS,
ECCAS,
COMESA
and IGAD
Construction was expected to start in January
2013 and completed by December 2015.
This project covers a stretch of 4300Km
from Algeria to Niger and Nigeria. Once
completed, this project will dramatically
improve both telecommunication and
internet access in the three states and
neighbouring states making international
transmission capacity cheaper. The project is
expected to be operational in 2014.
This is a combination of the Trans-African
Highway 5 (Dakar to N'djamena) and 6
(N'djamena to Djibouti) with a total length of
8,715Km
(4,496Km
and
4,219Km
respectively).
Pre-feasibility study for the project was
completed.
SADC,
COMESA
and EAC
The North-South Corridor links the port of
Durban to the Copperbelt in DR Congo and
Zambia and has spurs linking the port of Dar
es Salaam and the Copperbelt and Durban to
Malawi
The review of studies done on this project
has been finalized.
25
Swaziland,
DRC, and
Angola
KinshasaRepublic of Congo
ECCAS,
BrazavilleBri Congo
Republic
COMESA
dge
Road
and DRC
and SADC
and
Rail
Project
NigeriaNigeria
Nigeria,
ECOWAS
Algeria Gas
Niger and and AMU
Pipeline
Algeria
Project
ICT
Rwanda
Broadband
and Link to
Fibre Optic
into
Neighbourin
g
States
Project
All African All RECs
Countries
The project is aimed at linking the Cities of
Kinshasa and Brazaville.
Feasibility studies for the project have been
done.
It is a 4,300Km of natural gas pipeline from
Nigeria to Algeria.
The project is awaiting the resolution of
Sonatrach’s (Algeria) participation in
Nigeria’s upstream activities.
This project will provide all countries in
Africa with abundant and affordable
communication and information capacity to
enable them become participants in the
global information society and reap the
benefits of the knowledge economy of the
21st Century.
Consultations with Member States are
ongoing.
These projects are yet to be defined by the
Government of Egypt.
Water
Egypt
Management,
River
and
Rail
Transport
Project
26
Table 2: Selected8 PIDA-PAP Projects
Project
Energy Sector
Benefiting
Countries
Great Millenium
Renaissance
Ethiopia,
Dam
Nile Basin
REC
Description
COMESA,
IGAD
Develop a 50 MW plant to supply domestic
market and export electricity on EAPP
MphamdaNkuwa
Mozambique,
Zambezi
Basin
SADC
Hydroelectric power plant with a capacity of
1,500 MW for export on SAPP market
Inga III Hydro
DRC Congo
River
ECCAS
4200 MW capacity run of river hydropower
station on the Congo River with eight turbines
Sambagalou
Nigeria-Algeria
Pipeline
Transport Sector
TAH
Programme
Senegal,
OMVG
Nigeria,
Niger,
Algeria
Africa
Single African
Sky phase I
(design
and
initial
implementation) Africa
ECOWAS
128 MW of hydropower capacity, 930 Km
from the mouth of the Gambia River to supply
Senegal, Guinea, Guinea Bissau and Gambia
UMA,
ECOWAS
4100 km gas pipeline from Warri to Hassi
R'Mel in Algeria for export to Europe
Continental
This is phase I of the continental connectivity
programme that focuses on completion and
standardization of the TAH missing links by
2030
Continental
This is a continental programme that will
create a high-level, satelite-based air based
navigation system for the African continent
This
programme
includes
both
the
development of model smart corridor
technology and the design and the
implementation of a continental and regional
corridor efficiency monitoring system
Smart Corridor
Programme
Phase I
Africa
Continental
Trans-boundary Water Resources Sector
Palambo
8
Regulation dam to improve navigability of
Obangui River with added Hydropower
component
Congo River
Basin
ECCAS
PIDA-PAP has 51 projects in the energy, transport, trans-boundary water resources and ICT
27
Fomi
Niger
Basin
Hydropower station in Guinea with irrigation
water supply for Mali and regulation of the
Niger river
River
ECOWAS
Lesotho HWP
phase
II Orangehydropower
Sengu River
component
Basin
SADC
ICT Sector
ICT
Enabling
Environment
Continental
ICT Terrestrial
for Connectivity Continental
Internet
Exchange Point
(IXP)
Programme
Continental
Water transfer programme supplying water to
Gauteng Province in South Africa
Continental
Improving the environment for the private
sector to invest in high-speed broadband
infrastructure
Continental
Securing each country connection by at least
two broadband infrastructure and ensuring the
access to submarine cable to all landlocked
countries
Continental
Providing Africa with adequate internet node
exchange to maximize internal traffic
28