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In the aftermath of the global financial crisis, policy makers focused on improving access to finance, missing the crux of the problem: governance.
In pursuit of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals through the 2015 Addis Ababa Action Agenda on financing for development, the Regional Roundtables on Infrastructure Governance* were created to promote a community of practice comprising government officials and the international development community to strengthen capacities within developing countries and establish good practices in infrastructure governance across various government sectors.
The inaugural roundtable, hosted by the Development Bank of Southern Africa, will take place in Cape Town on November 2-3, 2017, and aims to emphasize that for the commercial financing of infrastructure to be a viable option, governance reforms must happen.
When governments are better able to identify, develop, and coordinate their infrastructure pipeline, financing will flow —both domestic and foreign. It is indisputably within the power of governments, the business community, and civil society to make this happen. There are many success stories across Africa to prove it, and some of the most emblematic ones will be showcased at the event.
Participants from across different sectors of society will have the unique opportunity to discuss, share experiences, and propose solutions to such questions as:
- Why is infrastructure hard to get right?
- How do you create a strategic plan that incorporates a long-term vision for a country’s infrastructure program?
- How do you ensure plans are implemented more efficiently and with high integrity?
Participants will include many high-level government officials as well as renowned presenters and panelists, among them South Africa’s Minister of Finance Malusi Gigaba, the Nigerian Sovereign Investment Agency’s CEO Mr. Uche Orji, the African Union’s Commissioner for Infrastructure, Energy and Tourism Dr. Amani Abou-Zeid, and Meridiam CEO Thierry Deau. The event will be chaired by Pierre Guislain, Vice President of the African Development Bank, and Hartwig Schafer, Vice President of Global Themes at the World Bank Group.
The Cape Town roundtable is the first of two Sub-Saharan Africa roundtables, with the second to be hosted in Abidjan in early 2018.
Learn more about the Regional Roundtables on Infrastructure Governance.
*The Regional Roundtables on Infrastructure Governance were created by the World Bank Group in collaboration with the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the African Development Bank (AfDB), the African Legal Support Facility (ALSF), the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA), the Global Infrastructure Hub (GIH), the Konrad Adenauer-Stiftung Foundation (KAF), New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD), the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), and the Public-Private Infrastructure Advisory Facility (PPIAF).
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