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By Baboloki Semele
“Your Excellencies, distinguished guests, I declare the 7th PIDA week officially opened,” were the words. This was followed by a round of applause. The African Union high representative for infrastructure development in Africa Rt Hon Raila Odinga made the announcement in Nairobi, Kenya, Monday, marking the official opening of the 7th edition of Africa’s premier infrastructure event for the Program for Infrastructure Development in Africa-(PIDA) Week.
Held under the theme ‘Putting Africa on a Firm Footing for Recovery, Growth, and Resilience through Infrastructure’, the high-level international conference of African leaders, representatives of international development organizations, and the private sector is aimed at critically evaluating infrastructure delivery in Africa against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic while discussing financial prospects for infrastructure projects in the pipeline.
The five-day Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa (PIDA-Week) is poised to tackle issues such as how to deal with bottlenecks and other challenges in realising the much-needed resources to enhance infrastructure development on the continent.
Representing President of the Republic of Kenya H.E. Uhuru Kenyatta at the opening, Cabinet Secretary James Macharia highlighted that the theme of the 7th PIDA Week focuses on the key challenge of the time, the COVID 19 Pandemic which in the process has created a shortfall in the already underfunded infrastructure sector.
“As African countries, we need to focus on policies and strategies that will promote and increase domestic resource mobilization, attract private investment and create an environment that attracts the growth of quality infrastructure projects. I, therefore, urge for deeper engagement between PIDA, the private sector, and development partners”, said the cabinet secretary.
Despite the African continent having investment-worthy infrastructure projects, there is still a big funding gap related to various risks such as project bankability and preparation and in this regard, the AUC Commissioner for Infrastructure and Energy, Dr. Amani Abou-Zeid during her opening remarks affirmed that the second Priority Action Plan of PIDA(PAP2), was carefully curated to address the challenges relating to bankability.
“Africa has infrastructure projects that meet investment criteria. The projects are inclusive, sustainable, and gender smart and will certainly better the lives of fellow Africans. So, this is a call for action and implementation, for the private sector financiers, donors, and partners to invest in these projects that produce a win-win outcome. This continent has many opportunities, and we urge investors to invest in Africa’s infrastructure!”, she said.
The Commissioner also underlined the need to consider gender parity in all cycles of the infrastructure value chain, not only as beneficiaries but as operators, leaders, and owners of giant enterprises.
As the 7th PIDA Week is being held towards the end of the first year of the implementation of the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), the CEO of the African Union Development Agency-NEPAD, H.E. Dr. Ibrahim Mayaki spoke on the crucial role that infrastructure development plays in the success.
“As a continent, we have made considerable progress in the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). However, for it to become the game-changer that we so desire, we must put in place the necessary infrastructure that will be the key enabler of Intra Africa Trade”, said Dr. Mayaki.
While highlighting the progress made over the past year with regard to the implementation of PIDA and related infrastructure development initiatives Dr. Mayaki expressed satisfaction over the high level of commitment from member states and partners.
This year’s PIDA Week will feature a number of key events such as the official launch of the Continental Africa Investment Programme, AIP-PIDA Water Scorecard. African Union Heads of State adopted the Scorecard in February 2021.
“With almost 400 million people lacking access to safe drinking water and 700 million with no access to good sanitation, delivery of water investments across Africa remains below the African Development Bank’s estimated $64 billion annual targets, required to meet the vision of Water Security for all by 2025.” said former United Republic of Tanzania President H.E. Jakaya Kikwete in his recorded address to the gathering. While there has been an increase in political will and focus on water security among Africa Union Member States, project owners, and partners, there is still a pressing need to get the necessary funds.
Another key highlight of the 7th PIDA Week will be the launch of the PIDA Quality Label certification awards which will be an annual event going forward. The PIDA Quality Label is a quality recognition process by the AUDA-NEPAD Service Delivery Mechanism that reflects an Infrastructure projects’ adherence to international best practices in project preparation. Its’ goal is to shorten the time for projects to reach financial close.
The 7th PIDA Week opening has witnessed a renewed enthusiasm with various leaders and infrastructure stakeholders committing to moving beyond pledges to implementation.
In his vigor, the AU High Representative for Infrastructure Development in Africa, Hon. Raila Odinga kickstarted PIDA Week on a high note by saying: Ladies and Gentlemen, we need to act with a sense of urgency, and in a coordinated manner, to prepare, plan, and manage our priority infrastructure projects with a new level of rigor, and robustness.”, he said
The participants of PIDA Week will also get an opportunity to visit three infrastructure projects in Kenya, namely the LAPSSET Corridor Program Lamu Port, ICT parks in Konza Techno city, and the Nairobi Expressway.