By Mariyah Adamu, Abuja
Africa’s infrastructural challenges and investment opportunities will take centre stage when global leaders, financiers and development experts gather in Johannesburg for a high-level side event ahead of the G20 Summit scheduled to hold in November.
President/CEO, Africa Think Tank for Infrastructure Development, ATTID, Dr. Alfred Chiakor, stated this in a statement made available to AljazirahNigeria.
The statement said ATTID “will host the Infrastructure and Sustainable Development Side Event on November 20–21 at the Capital Empire Hotel in Sandton, South Africa”, under the theme: “Enhancing Africa’s Infrastructure Transformation Agenda through Investments and Partnership”, ahead of the November 22–23 G20 Summit of Industrialised Nations under the chairmanship of a former President of the United Republic of Tanzania, Dr. Jakaya Kikwete, with President Bola Tinubu as Special Guest of Honour and Irina Unkovski, an international PPP and infrastructure specialist, as the Keynote Speaker.
It quoted the organisers as saying that “the forum will bring together, world leaders, executives of international development agencies, global banks, private investors and regional economic commissions to chart a roadmap for transforming Africa’s infrastructural backbone. The gathering is expected to set the tone for deeper global partnerships at the G20 and beyond.
“Africa’s infrastructure deficit remains one of the continent’s biggest barriers to growth, according to ATTID. The African Development Bank, AfDB, estimates that the region needs between $130 billion and $170 billion annually to meet its development goals in energy, transportation, water, sanitation and urban systems. Poor infrastructure, officials note, had already cost African economies up to 40 percent in productivity losses and sliced two percentage points off the annual growth.
“Despite these gaps, the investment picture is shifting. Foreign Direct Investment, FDI, flows to Africa climbed from $53 billion in 2023 to $97 billion in 2024, or about six percent of global FDI, UN Trade and Development data showed. North Africa led the inflows, buoyed by energy and transport projects, while Sub-Saharan Africa saw rising intra-regional investment from players such as Dangote Group, MTN and leading Nigerian banks.
“Still, the continent faces steep hurdles. The World Bank reports that 22 African countries are at high risk of debt distress and Sub-Saharan Africa’s median debt-to-GDP ratio has nearly doubled since 2010. Weak road networks, underperforming railways and costly transport logistics continue to stifle regional trade, which accounts for just 31 percent of commerce compared with 53 percent in emerging Asia”.
Besides, ATTID leaders argued that innovative financing and partnerships are crucial. The side event will highlight successful models such as Egypt’s $10 billion Ras El Hekma megaproject with the United Arab Emirates, Ethiopia’s light rail system and the AfDB-backed Enugu-Bamenda Highway linking Nigeria and Cameroon. Such initiatives, they say, prove that Africa can deliver high returns for investors, while addressing pressing development needs.
In this vein, the forum’s agenda includes business sessions on financing models, regional linkages and public-private-partnerships. Organisers expect the meeting to generate new investment pipelines, strengthen advocacy for infrastructural funding and foster collaboration between governments, international lenders and private sector stakeholders, it stated.
“The side event provides an auspicious window to deepen intra-African and global investment.
“It is a clarion call to investors to tap into Africa’s infrastructural transformation that promises enduring returns,” said Dr. Chiakor noted.
By the close of the two-day summit, ATTID hopes to secure commitments that will accelerate Africa’s integration into global value chains and position infrastructural development as a pillar of sustainable growth. Observers said the discussions in Johannesburg could shape Africa’s economic trajectory for decades and help ensure the continent’s fast-growing population of 1.5 billion people benefit from inclusive development.
