Infrastructure and PPP delivery a key focus at GI Hub workshop in West Africa

Sydney - Friday 29 November 2019. Over 70 participants from 13 countries met in Dakar, Senegal this week to participate in a three-day infrastructure and PPP workshop, led by the Global Infrastructure Hub (GI Hub).

Opened by Senegal's Director General of Cooperation, External Financing, Private Sector Development and Partnerships on behalf of the Minister of Economy, Planning and Cooperation, Amadou Hott, the workshop aimed to build the capacity of infrastructure policy makers and practitioners to strengthen policy and delivery in francophone Africa.

The agenda was tailored to regional needs, responding to inputs during planning from the workshop’s partners. The GI Hub shared best practice and knowledge through interactive sessions focused on the practical application of its online infrastructure tools and guidance.

GI Hub’s Senior Policy Adviser, Maud de Vautibault said: “The enthusiastic response to this workshop demonstrates how important infrastructure delivery and PPPs are to the future of West Africa, and how valuable such capacity building exercises are to the governments and people of the region. We are grateful to our workshop partners who made the event such a success and look forward to our ongoing work in Africa through GI Hub initiatives such as the Africa Infrastructure Fellowship Program.”

A spokesperson for Senegal’s Ministry of Economy, Planning and Cooperation said: “This workshop contributes, among other things, to the reinforcement of capacity of these countries’ PPP Units so that they are sufficiently equipped to support the contracting authorities. The goal is that PPPs in our countries are high quality but also executed quickly, in ‘Fast Track’ mode.”

The workshop partners were the Senegalese Government, United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, African Institute for Economic Development and Planning, African Development Bank and NEPAD Infrastructure Project Preparation Facility and with the participation of the World Bank and West African Economic and Monetary Union.

Significant contributions were also made by the country participants, especially Gabon, Senegal, Mali, Cameroon and Ivory Coast, African Legal Support Facility and advisory firms Allen & Overy, Mott Macdonald and CMS Francis Lefebvre.