RETHINKING INFRASTRUCTURE IN AFRICA

The document assesses Africa's infrastructure gaps in electricity, water, sanitation, and transport, noting that while funding from public, private, and donor sources has increased, systemic governance failures hinder progress. It highlights that inefficiencies in project preparation, a lack of maintenance, and corruption result in significant value loss. The author argues for a shift in focus toward governance interventions, including better regulatory environments, enhanced domestic resource mobilisation, and the adoption of innovative, localised technologies to ensure sustainable development and regional integration.

• Africa faces severe infrastructure deficits, particularly in electricity, where less than half of the population (43%) has access. Water and sanitation are also critically lacking in sub-Saharan Africa, with only 68% having access to improved water supplies and 30% to improved sanitation.
• Transport infrastructure is a major economic brake; Africa's national road density is only 204 kilometres per 1,000 square kilometres, with only 25% paved, compared to a world average of 944 kilometres per 1,000 square kilometres with over 50% paved.
• Financial resources for infrastructure are increasingly available, with total commitments reaching $83.4 billion in 2015. Funding comes from domestic public sectors, bilateral and multilateral donors (notably China), and the private sector, suggesting that funding is no longer the defining problem.
• Domestic resource mobilisation is hindered by low tax-to-GDP ratios; while some regions reach 20%, the average for reporting African countries is around 13.5%, with Nigeria estimated at only 1.5%.
• Private sector investment is heavily concentrated in a few markets; South Africa and Nigeria accounted for 80% of private sector infrastructure investment in sub-Saharan Africa, 95% in transport, and 60% in ICT.
• Project preparation is a significant bottleneck; 54% of 433 projects associated with NEPAD or PIDA remained in formative stages, such as 'concept identification' or 'pre-feasibility'.
• Neglecting maintenance is a major driver of infrastructure dysfunction, with estimates suggesting that every $1 not spent on needed maintenance eventually costs the economy $4.
• Technological innovation, particularly in ICT and renewable energy, allows for localised, off-grid solutions that bypass traditional bulk-supply infrastructure, which is often too expensive or socially disruptive for informal settlements.
• Cross-border infrastructure, such as the LAPSSET Corridor, is essential for landlocked countries but is frequently hampered by a lack of political will and the difficulty of harmonising regulations across independent states.

APA

CORRIGAN, T. (2017). RETHINKING INFRASTRUCTURE IN AFRICA. South African Institute of International Affairs. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Occasional-Paper-252.pdf

Chicago

CORRIGAN, TERENCE. RETHINKING INFRASTRUCTURE IN AFRICA. South African Institute of International Affairs, 2017. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Occasional-Paper-252.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=CORRIGAN |first1=TERENCE |title=RETHINKING INFRASTRUCTURE IN AFRICA |publisher=South African Institute of International Affairs |date=March 2017 |url=https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Occasional-Paper-252.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{corrigan2017rethinking, author = {CORRIGAN, TERENCE}, title = {{RETHINKING INFRASTRUCTURE IN AFRICA}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2017}, month = mar, url = {https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Occasional-Paper-252.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }