The Complexities of Regional Infrastructure Planning

This case study examines the complexities of regional infrastructure planning in Southern Africa, focusing on the SADC Regional Infrastructure Development Master Plan (RIDMP). It analyzes the roles of various stakeholders—including governments, development finance institutions, donors, and the private sector—and discusses the challenges of financing, coordination, and the socio-environmental impacts of large-scale projects, using the Lesotho Highlands Water Project as a specific example.

• The Southern African Development Community (SADC) adopted the Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan (RISDP) in 2003 as a 10-year program to connect the region. Its targets included liberalising regional transport markets by 2008, harmonising water-sector policies and legislation by 2006, and achieving complete connectivity of all member states to the regional power grid by 2012. However, experts suggest these targets were more like "guesstimates" or guidelines, leading to delays in achievement.
• The SADC Regional Infrastructure Development Master Plan (RIDMP), adopted in August 2012, aims to create a cost-effective and seamless transboundary infrastructure network across six priority sectors: energy, transport, tourism, information and communication technologies, meteorology, and water. The plan is structured into three five-year implementation intervals: 2012–17 (short term), 2017–22 (medium term), and 2022–27 (long term).
• Infrastructure planning in the region faces significant coordination challenges due to differences in regulatory environments, governance, economic activity levels, and stability across countries. Effective investment requires strategic policy frameworks that can endure beyond political cycles and elections. While the Infrastructure Consortium for Africa (ICA), established in 2005, works to increase sustainable finance, there remains a funding gap that requires a coordinated approach between public agencies, development finance institutions (DFIs), and the private sector.
• Private sector investment in African infrastructure is disproportionately low compared to other regions; between 1990 and 2011, only 10% of global private investment flowed to African infrastructure, compared to 40% in Latin America. This is attributed to the "shallowness" of national utility markets in Southern Africa. While Public-Private Partnerships (PPFs) can shift financial risk away from the public sector, they are often viewed with apprehension by civil society as a form of privatisation, and some projects, such as toll roads in South Africa, have failed.
• The Lesotho Highlands Water Project (LHWP) serves as a bi-national example of transboundary infrastructure involving a trade-off: water is diverted to South Africa via a gravity drop, while Lesotho utilizes the flow to power an underground hydroelectric station at Muela, reducing its energy dependence on South Africa. The hydroelectric component costs are estimated at 5%. Despite engineering success and the signing of Phase II in May 2013, the project has faced controversies regarding the embezzlement of royalties, which are reported to be ZAR 35–45 million annually paid by South Africa to Lesotho.

APA

Wentworth, L. (2013). The Complexities of Regional Infrastructure Planning. South African Institute of International Affairs. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/REV_SAIIA_perisa_infr_TP_wentworth_20131213.pdf

Chicago

Wentworth, Lesley. The Complexities of Regional Infrastructure Planning. South African Institute of International Affairs, 2013. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/REV_SAIIA_perisa_infr_TP_wentworth_20131213.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Wentworth |first1=Lesley |title=The Complexities of Regional Infrastructure Planning |publisher=South African Institute of International Affairs |date=August 2013 |url=https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/REV_SAIIA_perisa_infr_TP_wentworth_20131213.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{wentworth2013complexities, author = {Wentworth, Lesley}, title = {{The Complexities of Regional Infrastructure Planning}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2013}, month = aug, url = {https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/REV_SAIIA_perisa_infr_TP_wentworth_20131213.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }