Rethinking Infrastructure in Africa: A Governance Approach

This research paper argues that governance, rather than funding, is the primary obstacle to infrastructure development in Africa. It highlights that while $93 billion annually was needed until 2020, improvements can be achieved through better project preparation, maintenance, and regional cooperation without significantly increasing spending.

• Africa is the least provisioned region in the world for infrastructure assets, such as roads, railways, power grids, communication networks, and water and sanitation systems, and existing assets suffer from poor maintenance.
• An estimated $93 billion annually was required until 2020 for infrastructure development; however, the primary challenge has shifted from a lack of funding to a need for better governance.
• Improving infrastructure without significantly increasing spending is possible through better project preparation, efficiency, and maintenance, though this requires difficult political decisions and cross-border cooperation, especially for landlocked nations.
• The paper identifies seven specific areas where governance action is needed to overcome infrastructure obstacles: finance; policy, planning and project preparation; efficiency; the regulatory environment; private sector involvement; engagement of Africa’s people; and regional integration.

APA

South African Institute of International Affairs (2017). Rethinking Infrastructure in Africa: A Governance Approach. https://saiia.org.za/research/rethinking-infrastructure-in-africa-a-governance-approach/

Chicago

South African Institute of International Affairs. Rethinking Infrastructure in Africa: A Governance Approach. 2017. https://saiia.org.za/research/rethinking-infrastructure-in-africa-a-governance-approach/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=South African Institute of International Affairs |title=Rethinking Infrastructure in Africa: A Governance Approach |date=15 March 2017 |url=https://saiia.org.za/research/rethinking-infrastructure-in-africa-a-governance-approach/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{southafricaninstituteofinternationalaffairs2017rethinking, author = {{South African Institute of International Affairs}}, title = {{Rethinking Infrastructure in Africa: A Governance Approach}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2017}, month = mar, url = {https://saiia.org.za/research/rethinking-infrastructure-in-africa-a-governance-approach/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }