The origins of Africa’s infrastructure deficit

This research paper by the Institute for Security Studies examines the historical drivers of Africa's infrastructure deficit, tracing it from colonial-era extractive designs through post-independence policy failures, macroeconomic crises, and recent trends in urban and railway investment.

• Africa's infrastructure deficit originated from colonial-era designs that prioritized foreign extractive goals and military objectives over domestic development. Transport networks, such as railways and ports, were built as linear corridors to connect mines and plantations to the coast, neglecting internal market integration. For instance, the Western Line in the Gold Coast (now Ghana) was constructed between 1898 and 1903 to serve the goldfields of Tarkwa and Obuasi and facilitate troop deployment to the Ashanti region, while the Eastern Line (begun in 1908) targeted gold and cocoa regions. In Mozambique, the Lourenço Marques railway served similar imperial and export interests. It is estimated that approximately one-third of colonial budgets were spent on railroad construction.
• Post-independence infrastructure was characterized by the decline of inherited railway systems and a shift toward road transport, often without corresponding investment in sanitation or regional cross-border systems. This era saw the rise of "white elephant" prestige projects—large-scale roads, dams, and power plants—that lacked rigorous economic analysis or feasibility studies. This trend was particularly evident in the 1980s following the Lagos Plan of Action, resulting in projects that generated limited economic returns and increased public debt.
• Macroeconomic instability in the late 1980s, driven by falling commodity prices and high external debt, led to a significant drop in infrastructure spending and deferred maintenance. Structural Adjustment Programs (SAPs) of the 1980s and 1990s further reduced public spending in favor of fiscal consolidation and privatization. While private investment succeeded in the telecommunications sector (e.g., MTN, Vodacom, and Airtel), it failed to compensate for public spending cuts in energy, water, and urban transport, contributing to the collapse of public bus companies and underdeveloped national power grids in sub-Saharan Africa.
• The commodity boom of the 2000s triggered a rise in infrastructure spending, often manifesting as grandiose urban projects inspired by cities like Dubai, Singapore, or Shanghai. An example is the 2008 Nairobi Metro 2030 Strategy. Additionally, railway infrastructure saw a resurgence in Eastern Africa, heavily supported by Chinese financing and construction, including the Addis Ababa–Djibouti Railway and Kenya's Mombasa–Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway.

APA

Yeboua, K. (2026). The origins of Africa’s infrastructure deficit. Institute for Security Studies. https://futures.issafrica.org/thematic/guide.pdf?thematic=11-large-infrastructure&topic=02-origins-of-africa-infrastructure-deficit

Chicago

Yeboua, Kouassi. The origins of Africa’s infrastructure deficit. Institute for Security Studies, 2026. https://futures.issafrica.org/thematic/guide.pdf?thematic=11-large-infrastructure&topic=02-origins-of-africa-infrastructure-deficit.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Yeboua |first1=Kouassi |title=The origins of Africa’s infrastructure deficit |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=25 May 2026 |url=https://futures.issafrica.org/thematic/guide.pdf?thematic=11-large-infrastructure&topic=02-origins-of-africa-infrastructure-deficit |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{yeboua2026origins, author = {Yeboua, Kouassi}, title = {{The origins of Africa’s infrastructure deficit}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2026}, month = may, url = {https://futures.issafrica.org/thematic/guide.pdf?thematic=11-large-infrastructure&topic=02-origins-of-africa-infrastructure-deficit}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }