Orange Democratic Movement party leader Raila Odinga has called on African governments to fast-track infrastructure developments in the Horn of Africa.
Speaking while opening a three-day development partners’ roundtable talks on Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), Raila said faster infrastructure development is the most important enabler of trade among nations.
Raila, who is also the African Union High Representative for Infrastructure Development, said regional priority projects needed to be incorporated in national development plans and also get prioritized in Regional Economic Communities’ infrastructure master plans.
“The Igad Infrastructure Master plan has highlighted well the short-term priority projects. There are 61 projects in transport, nine projects in energy, 14 projects in ICT, and five projects in trans-boundary waterways. These are projects that need to be implemented by 2024,” said Raila.
“To realize our potential in intra-Africa and regional trade, we must invest in appropriate transport, energy and ICT infrastructure as a matter of priority.”
Raila estimated that Africa’s road network deficit is at a minimum of 60,000 kilometers by 2040 while the rail network gap is estimated at 30,000 kilometers in the same period.
At the same time, he said that the continent urgently needs some 17 new airports and 7 sea ports.
Raila said that infrastructure projects that cut across national boundaries and were regional could all be developed simultaneously, with each country committing to do its part while the Regional Economic Communities (RECS) provide supporting and coordinating roles.
IGAD Executive Secretary Workneh Gebeyehu echoed his sentiments saying the region is constrained by inadequate infrastructure.
“As a consequence, regional integration has fallen short of expectations. However, the establishment of adequate infrastructure would lead to productivity gains by up to 40 per cent,” said Gebeyehu.
Raila was presiding over three-day roundtable talks aimed at securing support for regional infrastructure to promote economic development and integration.
The meeting offers an opportunity for the development partners to exchange views and network with development partners, investors, and other stakeholders.
