Building sustainable infrastructure for the future: AfDB and World Bank host global roundtable on infrastructure governance

The African Development Bank and the World Bank are hosting the Second Global Roundtable on Infrastructure governance and tools from 21-22 June 2018 in Grand Bassam, 41 Km south east of Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, to share perspectives on impacts of poor infrastructure governance on economic growth.

The meeting comes on the heels of the current governance debate for sustainable development and economic growth, and brings together high-level decision-makers in politics, business and civil society that can set the direction for how the infrastructure pipeline can be boosted through better governance.

During the two days, participants will brainstorm on “Building the right infrastructure for tomorrow.” They will demonstrate that the major impediment to strong infrastructure investment is related to poor financing, and lack of good governance. They will particularly highlight the relevance of implementing quality standards throughout infrastructure project cycle to ensure its best design and effectiveness, but also compliance with governance best practices and policies.

There is strong evidence that governance in general and infrastructure governance, in particular, is a major instrument for successful sustainable economic growth. Plenary and working group meetings will be an opportunity for reputable business partners and sector experts to share knowledge about concrete cases and what works.

Speaking ahead of the event, the African Development Bank’s Director of Infrastructure and Urban Development, Amadou Oumarou highlighted the relevance of the roundtable. “The challenge for African countries is to approach infrastructure governance comprehensibly from the planning and prioritization stage to procurement down to maintenance and operation in order to reap the long-term benefits of their investments,” he said.

The case studies, he also said, will cover infrastructure services that perform a public role.

Original source: AfDB
Published on 20 June 2018