Efficient cross-border infrastructure is needed to facilitate trade and development in Africa, Foreign Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma said on Friday.
”There is certainly a need to ensure that our regions are adequately linked through sufficient cross-border infrastructure.
”As a prerequisite for trade and economic liberalisation, efficient cross-border infrastructure and services are needed to facilitate the free movement of people, goods and services across the regions,” she said, addressing the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (Ticad) IV ministerial preparatory meeting in Libreville, Gabon.
The inherent factors inhibiting Africa’s productivity and competitiveness were inefficient infrastructure and an unreliable energy supply.
She said African governments should embrace the public-private partnership (PPP) model to respond to challenges of greater efficiency and better services.
”The African experience of PPPs has proved that they are complex, highly demanding and time consuming. Under the right conditions, and in the right sectors, however, they can offer significant benefits.
”PPP projects are commonly utilised for service delivery and infrastructure projects that are capital intensive in nature,” Dlamini-Zuma said.
She also said the private sector had a key role to play in the development of Africa by advancing the vision of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (Nepad).
Nepad provides the direction for Africa to move decisively towards sustainable growth and development, she said. – Sapa