Infrastructure Development

Actions Taken

The World Bank has collaborated with the African Development Bank and other partners in the preparation of the NEPAD Short-term Action Plan for Infrastructure Development. As part of its regional programme pipeline of US$ 200 to 300 million annually, the Bank is actively involved in project preparation or financing for at least half of the “top 20” prioritized projects under the Plan. The Bank is supporting the Southern Africa Gas Project and has funded the Western Africa Power Pool and the first stage of the Southern Africa Power Pool — these being key components of the NEPAD energy sector plan. This cluster, for which the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) is the convenor, deals with issues of water and sanitation; energy; transport; and information and communication technologies.

The sub-cluster on water and sanitation organized a Pan-African Implementation and Partnership Conference on Water in Addis Ababa, from 8 to 13 December 2003. Among the issues discussed were: the role of Africa’s water resources in economic, social and environmental development and the concept of the Integrated Water Resources Management; and financing water sector development in Africa, possibly from savings realized under the Highly Indebted Poor Countries initiative; national budgetary allocations (5 per cent), private sector; traditional communal resources and bilateral and multilateral partners. Major achievements of the Conference are embodied in the overall commitment by the African Ministers’ Council on Water to launch the following initiatives: African-European Union Strategic Partnership on Water Affairs and Sanitation; African Water Facility, to be hosted by the African Development Bank but under the policy direction of the African Ministers’ Council on Water; the Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Initiative of the African Development Bank; and the Water for African Cities programme (phase II), as well as support for the implementation of the Group of Eight Action Plan on Water for Africa. The African Water Journal is to be launched by ECA to disseminate information and knowledge and facilitate documentation and sharing of African experiences.

The following actions are envisaged in advancing the work of the water subcluster: establish in 2004 national task forces on water to prepare and implement plans for achieving the targets of the Millennium Development Goals by 2015; negotiate the implementation of the “portfolio of projects” with the development cooperation partners, the Bretton Woods institutions and “UN Water”/Africa, which brings together all United Nations agencies working in Africa.

The transport sub-cluster continues to assist, in collaboration with the World Bank, in the implementation of the sub-Saharan Africa Transport Policy Programme within the context of NEPAD. Resource mobilization efforts for the Programme was successful in 2003 and the $4.4 million has been mobilized for the work programme of 2004. ECA, in collaboration with the regional economic communities and the African Union, is actively canvassing the implementation of the Yamoussoukro. Decision on air transport liberalization in Africa. In this regard, activities related to air transport liberalization are being pursued in many countries and assessment reports are being prepared for West Africa and Central Africa. Capacity-building in the handling of the infrastructure programmes of NEPAD is under way in the regional economic communities. The sub-Saharan Africa Transport Policy Programme is also identifying human resources needs of the regional economic communities and developing appropriate action plans.

Moreover, the International Civil Aviation Organization launched, in February 2004, a subregional study relating to an upper airspace control centre and the establishment of one flight safety oversight organization for the East African Community States of Kenya, Uganda and the United Republic of Tanzania. A similar study is planned to include Burundi and Rwanda.

The information and communication technology sub-cluster was convened in September 2003 to discuss the involvement of the United Nations agencies working in Africa relative to the implementation of the Short-Term Action Plan on Infrastructure Development. It also organized and participated in several forums in preparation for the World Summit on the Information Society, which was held in Geneva in December 2003. ECA organized the African Preparatory Conference for the Summit with the support of the major United Nations agencies working in Africa. The establishment of a Digital Solidarity Fund to help information technology development in Africa was a major outcome of the Summit.