Support infrastructure investment, Uhuru tells EU-Africa Summit

European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso (left) and EU Council president Herman Van Rompuy (right) welcome Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta prior to the 4th EU-Africa summit on April 2,2014 in Brussels. PHOTO/AFP 

By John Njiru

In Summary

• The private sector should be encouraged to take advantage of the new funding initiative by investing and partnering with African Governments
• Governments should embrace the ethos of Africa 50 Fund - an initiative of the African Development Bank that was endorsed by African leaders

 

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President Uhuru Kenyatta has called on African leaders to accelerate reforms that will encourage more private sector investment in infrastructure projects.

The President gave example of Kenya, where through enactment of Public Private Partnership (PPP) legislation, the private sector is active in the development of projects in transport, energy, water and ICT.

“The private sector should be encouraged to take advantage of the new funding initiative by investing and partnering with African Governments in infrastructure development,” he said in his statement to the 4th European Union-Africa Summit in Brussels, Belgium on Wednesday.

President Kenyatta urged the governments to embrace the ethos of Africa 50 Fund - an initiative of the African Development Bank that was endorsed by African leaders - to address the inadequacy of resources for infrastructure development in the continent.

READ: Kenya eyes funding from private investors for various mega projects

In the country, he reiterated the government’s efforts in ensuring that all parts of the country have developed adequate roads, affordable electricity supply and clean drinking water to satisfy all basic infrastructural needs.

Also he underscored measures taken by the East African Community (EAC) to prioritise development of key regional transport corridors to support trade and investments.

This includes infrastructural projects like the rehabilitation and expansion of the Northern Corridor connecting the port of Mombasa with Kampala, Kigali, Bujumbura and the Eastern parts of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and the improvement of the Central Corridor connecting the port of Dar-es-Salaam with Bujumbura, Kigali and the DRC.

“Further, we believe that the entry point into developing a comprehensive continental infrastructure hinges on regional integration and cooperation, which is high on the political agenda of Africa,” added Mr Kenyatta in his capacity as EAC’s chairman.

The President welcomed continued collaboration between Africa and the European Union in achieving the continent’s development goals.

“Together we can realise the vision of developing Africa’s regional and continental infrastructure and promote socio – economic development and poverty reduction across the continent,” he added.