Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa (PIDA)

The Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa (PIDA) was launched on 24 July 2010 in Kampala, Uganda, along the sidelines of the 15th African Union Heads of State and Government Summit.  PIDA is a continent-wide program to develop vision, policies, strategies and programs for the development of priority regional and continental infrastructure projects in transport, energy, trans-boundary water and the ICT sectors.

PIDA is a joint initiative of the African Union Commission (AUC), the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) Secretariat and the African Development Bank (AfDB) Group. PIDA's program scope is quite broad in coverage. It covers transport (air, sea, river and lake, lagoon, rail and road), energy (electricity, gas, petroleum products and renewable energy), ICT, and transboundary water resources (primarily irrigation, hydropower, and lake and rivers transport), and deals with the regional and continental aspects of these sectors. 

The motivation for this initiative is rooted in Africa's infrastructure deficiencies which continue to hamper the continents growth and economic development. Infrastructure deficiencies also lead to increased production and transaction costs which result in decreased competitiveness for businesses and thereby also hinder the implementation of social and economic development policies.  The 3 institutions further recognize that in Africa:

• There is access to electricity for only 30% of the population compared to rates ranging from 70 to 90% for other major geographical zones of the developing world (Asia, Central America and the Caribbean, Middle-East and Latin America)
• Transboundary water resources constitute approximately 80% of Africa’s freshwater resources. However, current levels of water withdrawal are low with 3.8% of water resources developed for water supply, irrigation and hydropower use, and with only about 18% of the irrigation potential being exploited.
• A telecommunications penetration rate of about 6% compared to an average of 40% for the other geographical zones, and a very low penetration rate for broadband services and fixed lines.
• A road access rate of 34% compared to 50% for the other geographical zones.
• The global competitiveness indices calculated by the World Economic Forum indicate that for Africa these indices are lower than those of other regions of the developing world and infrastructure appears to be the underlying factor that contributes most significantly to Africa's relatively low competitiveness.  In fact the 2009 Africa Competitiveness Report concluded that Infrastructure remains one of the top constraints to businesses in Africa.

Other issues to be addressed by PIDA will include: the need to fill information gaps on infrastructure deficits, causal analysis, development of prioritized strategic frameworks, establishment of infrastructure investment programs around RECs strategic priorities and improved implementation strategies for these programs.  All national aspects (including, without exception, physical infrastructure, national policies, institutional and regulatory frameworks, technical standards and benchmarks) will only be considered if they have an impact on, or could be affected by, the regional and continental aspects.

The PIDA initiative requires a total amount of USD 11,391,527, which includes the cost of an independent advisory panel of experts (supported by DFID), regional and sector consultative workshops (supported by NTCF and EU) and implementation of an infrastructure database (supported by the EU). The Sector Studies component alone requires a total amount of USD 7,552,343, with the ADF providing 25.6%; the African Water Facility (AWF) with 24.6%, the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) with 23.3%, and the NEPAD-IPPF USD 2.0 million grant representing 26.5% of the cost.  

Sources can be accessed here.