Progress and Challenges with Infrastructure in Africa

Africa has seen infrastructure improvements, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, but continues to face a substantial deficit driven by population growth and urbanisation. Financing is characterized by a tension between concessional Western multilateral loans and more commercial, opaque Chinese lending via the Belt and Road Initiative. Recent efforts, such as the PIDA framework and the 2025 Africa Infrastructure Financing Summit, aim to align investment with pan-African priorities and global sustainability goals, including a transition toward renewables and electric mobility.

• Infrastructure development in Africa has improved over the last two decades, though progress varies by region. Between 2003 and 2025, sub-Saharan Africa increased its average Africa Infrastructure Development Index (AIDI) score by approximately 50%, while North Africa saw a more modest increase of about 12% due to its higher starting baseline.
• Despite progress, a significant infrastructure deficit remains because public financing is limited by debt and competing priorities in health and education, while private investment is unevenly distributed across a few commercially viable projects and countries.
• China has become a primary source of infrastructure finance through the Belt and Road Initiative, focusing on trade-enabling assets like roads, railways, and ports. However, Chinese lending is often less transparent and carries higher interest rates and shorter maturities compared to the more concessional and transparent financing provided by the IMF and World Bank.
• The African Union's Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa (PIDA) is working to align financing with continental priorities. At the October 2025 Africa Infrastructure Financing Summit in Luanda, investors committed US$18 billion to fund 38 bankable projects and 11 additional projects aligned with the AU's blueprint.
• Infrastructure planning is shifting toward sustainability and climate resilience, specifically through the adoption of renewables and electric mobility. A notable example is the 2024 launch of the Dakar Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system in Senegal, the first large-scale fully electric BRT network in Africa.

APA

Yeboua, K. (2026). Progress and Challenges with Infrastructure in Africa. Institute for Security Studies. https://futures.issafrica.org/thematic/guide.pdf?thematic=11-large-infrastructure&topic=03-progress-challenges

Chicago

Yeboua, Kouassi. Progress and Challenges with Infrastructure in Africa. Institute for Security Studies, 2026. https://futures.issafrica.org/thematic/guide.pdf?thematic=11-large-infrastructure&topic=03-progress-challenges.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Yeboua |first1=Kouassi |title=Progress and Challenges with Infrastructure in Africa |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=25 May 2026 |url=https://futures.issafrica.org/thematic/guide.pdf?thematic=11-large-infrastructure&topic=03-progress-challenges |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{yeboua2026progress, author = {Yeboua, Kouassi}, title = {{Progress and Challenges with Infrastructure in Africa}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2026}, month = may, url = {https://futures.issafrica.org/thematic/guide.pdf?thematic=11-large-infrastructure&topic=03-progress-challenges}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }