Staff Reporter
Windhoek-Namibia will host the Third Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa (PIDA) from December 10 to 14 in Swakopmund, under the theme “Regional Infrastructure Development for Job Creation and Economic Transformation.”
The third PIDA week is organized by the African Union Commission in collaboration with the Nepad Agency and the African Development Bank (AfDB).
PIDA, developed by the African Union Commission, Nepad Agency, AfDB, United Nations Economic Commission for Africa and regional economic communities, is a continental initiative aimed at addressing the infrastructure deficit that is severely hampering Africa’s competitiveness in the world market.
It promotes regional economic integration by building mutually beneficial infrastructure and strengthening the ability of countries to trade and establish regional value chains for increased competitiveness.
The 51 PIDA Priority Action Plan programmes and projects are spread across the four sectors of energy, transport, information and communication technology and trans-boundary water.
The programmes and projects are expected to lead to an integrated continent, fuelling international trade, job creation and sustainable economic growth, according to a media release issued on Monday.
In order to boost intra-African trade and raise the continent’s competitiveness in the global economy, the programme sets out short-term goals to be achieved by 2020, medium-term goals to be achieved by 2030 and long-term goals by 2040.
PIDA is a solution by and for Africans, which was endorsed by African heads of state and government at their 18th Summit in January 2012 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
PIDA programmes and projects are expected to lead to an integrated continent, job creation and sustainable economic growth fuelling continental trade. Building on the achievements of the inaugural event in 2015 and the second event in 2016, the 2017 PIDA Week will centre on the critical role that PIDA plays in streamlining the continent’s major infrastructure projects, and enhance PIDA as a brand and framework for regional infrastructure development.
Projects which will be featured at the event include: the Central Corridor, Dar es Salaam to Chalinze toll road; Kinshasa-Brazzaville road and railway bridge; Zambia-Tanzania-Kenya power interconnection; Batoka hydropower plant; the INGA III hydropower project, which is an AU Agenda 2063 flagship project; PIDA ICT projects and PIDA water sector projects. PIDA Week will thus provide space for discussions on PIDA project implementation, creating synergies between the different implementing institutions, partners and stakeholders.
Among the stakeholders expected at PIDA Week are continental and global infrastructure investor communities, development finance institutions, export credit agencies, project sponsors (public and private) and representatives of governments.