Namibia to host infrastructure development in Africa week

All is set for the 2017 Program for Infrastructure Development in Africa (PIDA) Week which takes place from 10 to 14 December in Swakopmund, Namibia, on the theme, “Regional infrastructure development for job creation and economic transformation.”
The third edition of PIDA Week is being organized by the African Union Commission (AUC), the NEPAD Planning and Coordinating Agency (NPCA), the African Development Bank (AfDB) and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) in collaboration with the Namibian Government and the Southern African Development Community (SADC).
Adeyinka Adeyemi, Senior Advisor and Head of the Regional Integration and Infrastructure Cluster in the ECA’s Capacity Development Division (CDD), says the main objective of the PIDA Week is to provide a marketing platform for selected PIDA projects to accelerate their implementation.
“For my team in particular, we will focus on the proposed model law on trans-boundary infrastructure development in Africa, which we believe if adopted by the continent will without a doubt facilitate private sector investment and financing in trans-boundary infrastructure enterprises in Africa,” he said.
The proposed Program for Infrastructure Development (PIDA) Model Law for Trans-boundary Infrastructure Projects in Africa will harmonize cross-border regulation of trans-boundary infrastructure projects and promote intra-African trade and open domestic markets to international trade.
Over a five-day period, participants at PIDA Week will discuss how to double and synergize their efforts to accelerate projects preparation and implementation; mobilize adequate financial and technical resources for projects; increase private sector participation in PIDA implementation; and mobilize Member States to integrate the PIDA projects into their national development plans.