AU agency urges partnerships to fix Africa’s infrastructure

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia–Policies, partnerships and financing are key for Africa’s infrastructure projects amid revelations some projects are struggling to reach bankability due to insufficient early preparation and persistent misconceptions about risk, head of the African Union (AU) development agency said Tuesday.

The continent, which faces an infrastructure funding gap of US$100 billion, is banking on infrastructure projects under the Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa (PIDA) to drive growth.

But for Nardos Bekele Thomas, chief executive officer of AU agency Auda-Nepad, there is a way out to address the funding challenges and perceived risks.

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