By Bola Olajuwon, Assistant Editor
THE African Union Commission (AUC) has organised two regional consultation workshops for project selection process of the second phase of the Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa (PIDA), also known as PIDA PAP 2.
The three-day workshop for Central Africa, held from February 25 – 27, 2020, was aimed at providing member states and RECs with the training and tools to prioritise gender-inclusive, environment-friendly, and spatially connected infrastructure projects that will create jobs and economic opportunities for the African people.
The workshop for West African member states and their specialised institutions was also held from February 26 – 28.
The workshops for other regions will soon be held.
The PIDA, identified as a key strategic framework for the development of regional infrastructure by Agenda 2063, has developed the integrated corridor approach framework as part of the Priority Action Plan 2 (PAP2), which captures specific goals of addressing youth employment and education, strengthening gender-inclusive socioeconomic development, environmentally sustainable communities and economies, and regional connectivity through world class infrastructure linking people, markets, and facilitating trade, as outlined by Agenda 2063 Aspirations 1, 2, and 6.
The first regional consultation workshop was launched in Libreville, Gabon for Central African member states and RECs.
Mr. Guichard Tsangou, on behalf of the Secretary-General of the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), highlighted “the strategic framework 2025 of Central Africa Region, emphasised the critical role of infrastructure to connect countries, facilitate trade within the region and support sustainable development”.
“It is within this context that ECCAS welcomes PIDA PAP2 and the integrated corridor approach and expresses its willingness to work with the African Union to select projects that respond to the needs of the region,” Tsangou said.
ECOWAS Commissioner for infrastructure H.E. Mr Pathe Gueye and ECOWAS Commissioner for Telecommunications and Information Technologies H.E. Dr. Zouli Bonkoungou, were in attendance at the opening ceremony for the West African regional consultation.
Mr. Yagouba Traore, Chief of Infrastructure Information Unit at the African Union
Commission, in his opening speech, highlighted the importance of workshop for the delegates as the opportunity to take stock of the parameters and selection criteria and to familiarise themselves with the projects submission tools that will be made available to them.
“ECOWAS and its member states will be able to identify priority projects according to the selection criteria and submit their proposals to the AUC with the support of the Task Force. In the meantime, the AUC will pursue advocacy at the highest level to promote the development of infrastructure as well as the related political and regulatory frameworks necessary to achieve the objectives of the African
Continental Free Trade Area and improve the lives of African populations. The AUC will work with AUDA-NEPAD, RECs, AfDB, and UNECA to deliver the next phase of PIDA with the utmost diligence,” he said.
Gueye acknowledged the collaborative effort from the different partner institutions to make possible the positive changes driven by the PIDA in the region.
He stated: “It should be noted that West Africa has been a major beneficiary of PIDA thanks to the financial support for the implementation of major projects in the infrastructure sector. I would also like to pay tribute to the African Development Bank, our bank for the decisive role in the implementation of the PIDA PAP in general and in the development of West Africa in particular by financing projects in all sectors.”
The capacity building workshop is designed to provide administrative support and the know-how to member states and RECs on the project identification, consolidation and selection processes so that the projects selected reflect the integrated corridor approach and work towards a more prosperous Africa. Member states will first propose projects to their RECs, who will take the projects’ key information and fill out forms provided for the screening process. The forms are expected to be complete and submitted to the Task Force members in the coming months after the workshops so that the Task Force members are able to analyse, score and prioritise the proposed projects according to the eligibility and project selection criteria.
Once the project selection process is complete and the PIDA PAP2 is developed, it will then be submitted to the African Heads of State and Government for adoption during the AU Summit in January 2021.
Ultimately, 58 projects are expected to be selected – 10 projects per the Northern
African, West African, Central African, East African and Southern African regions, and one additional project for each of the eight Islands states. The sectoral requirement is expected to be filled as at least one project in each region is to be part of the transport, energy, ICT or trans-boundary water resources sectors.
Member states in attendance at the West African workshop were Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Sierra Leone and Togo.
The continental and regional organisations were the AUC, AUDA-NEPAD, AfDB, ECOWAS, WAPP and PPDU.
PIDA, an African Union Commission (AUC) initiative, in partnership with the NEPAD Planning and Coordinating Agency (NPCA), the African Development Bank and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, aims to accelerate infrastructure development across the continent.
