The Presidential Infrastructure Champion Initiative (PICI) aims to progress regional and cross-border infrastructure to facilitate continental trade and investment. This initiative intends to unlock the economic potential of the continent and provide development opportunities at a national, regional and ultimately, continental level.

As an initiative to fast-track infrastructure development in Africa, the programme will bridge the gap between investors and development actors, spearheading the expansion and improvement of necessary infrastructure to reap the benefits of potential investment opportunities and sustain current economic growth and competitiveness. In order to achieve the envisioned level of progress, regional and continental cooperation is crucial and the PICI will accelerate regional infrastructure development through the political championing of projects. The projects which form part of this initiative cover four infrastructure sectors, namely Transport, Energy, Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Services as well as Transboundary Water Resources.

This report, which was jointly developed by the NEPAD Agency and the South African Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO), was presented during the 23^rd Heads of State and Government Orientation Committee (HSGOC) meeting in Kampala, Uganda, in July 2010 and is available for download.