Johnson Mwawasi Kilangi, the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Miundo Misingi Hub, an infrastructure Hub based in Nairobi has applauded the NDDC management for putting together a summit to discuss how to deploy infrastructure assets and services with the private sector.
According to Johnson, the summit came at a time when many countries are struggling to meet the ever expanding infrastructure financing requirements, exacerbated by the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Johnson said that time is ripe for the region to leverage on private sector resources and innovation to develop qualified, affordable and sustainable infrastructure for the citizens.
He however noted that this will not be possible if the region does not build an ecosystem that allows such private sector solutions to thrive. He insists that there is urgent need for the region to enhance the PPP framework so as to instill confidence in the private sector.
According to him “capacity still remains a challenge, there is need for the region to realign capacity building initiatives to ensure they resonate with the needs of the region. Johnson says that there is a need to champion action-based and practical training initiatives to ensure that professionals are equipped with skills that can deliver solutions for the region.
Johnson said that “Miundo Misingi Hub is a mission to build infrastructure champions across Africa who will influence how infrastructure is conceptualised, structured, financed and managed.
“Corruption and red tape still remain another stumbling block, the region has to vehemently condemn and punish corrupt practices that are chasing away investors. In this regard, the vision of the NDDC’s executive management to enthrone sound corporate governance architecture must be encouraged and sustained.
He also insisted that the region can leverage on the huge mineral resources including oil deposits to structure bespoke financing arrangements that could potentially unlock financing for the infrastructure needs of the region.
Johnson also added that “the region needs to tap locally available resources to cater for the infrastructure needs of the region. The local market might not be advanced for now, but we can start with relatively smaller projects that can attract local financing. Governments can come in where necessary to incentivize local financing to flow to these projects.”
Johnson also recommended that the region can leverage on green financing sources in the globe to build clean and sustainable infrastructure projects.
Johnson commended the management of NDDC led by Dr. Samuel Ogbuku and said that he looks forward to continued sharing of experiences from East Africa including how the private sector can support government initiatives. He stated that the Miundo Misingi Hub was incorporated out of the need to support governments to originate sustainable infrastructure solutions that could potentially be replicated across Africa.