Africa needs US$90bn annually for infrastructure

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Road infrastructure development in Africa will require US$90 billion annually for better development in the next decade in order to sustain economic growth and development as a whole.

According to ZimbabweTransport and Infrastructural Development, Minister Dr Obert Mpofuthe, the economy of the region was growing and more development in transport infrastructure is needed to support growth. He said this during the African Road Maintenance Funds Association (ARMFA) annual general meeting that took place in Victoria Falls last week.

Recent announcement by World Bank showed Zimbabwe required at least $33 billion in the next decade to develop its infrastructure.

“The continent’s infrastructure deficit has been identified as one of the most significant barriers to sustaining Africa’s growth. It is estimated that the continent will need to invest nearly $90 billion per year for infrastructure development over the next decade to bridge this infrastructure deficit,” he said.

Transport and Infrastructure Development Permanent Secretary Mr Munesu Munodawafa said Zimbabwe required US$5 billion for entire road network rehabilitation in coming five years, noting that construction of roads was expensive. One kilometer will cost at least $1 million according to him.

World Bank senior transport specialist Mr Justin Runji called for a sound monitoring and evaluation policy for road construction funds within transport ministries in the continent “Road sector reforms had a negative capacity impact within the parent transport ministries and some have not fully recovered. Furthermore, transport policy objectives and related performance indicators should be simplified and limited to a set of measurable commonly used and understood key transport indicators that are known to contribute to intended outcomes,” he said.