Addis Ababa, Ethiopia 20 March 2024: The Program for Infrastructure Development in Africa (PIDA) Steering Committee is scheduled to convene from March 26-27, 2024, at the African Union Headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to discuss progress and next steps for accelerating Africa’s infrastructure development priorities.

The meeting will bring together representatives of the African Union Commission (AUC), the African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD), the African Development Bank (AfDB), the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), Regional Economic Communities (RECs), and invited pan-African organizations.

PIDA, an African Union initiative, is a framework launched in 2012 to integrate, connect and transform Africa through infrastructure. Mobilizing adequate resources is crucial for expediting the implementation of PIDA’s priority projects. The second Phase of PIDA (PIDA PAP2) comprises 69 strategic regional transport, energy, ICT and water projects that require USD 161 billion to bring them to completion.

The Steering Committee aims at reviewing progress made since the previous meeting in implementing PIDA PAP2 and identifying any challenges encountered; providing strategic guidance on priority actions required in 2024 to accelerate PIDA implementation and the achievement of its overarching goals of promoting sustainable infrastructure as well as exploring opportunities to synergize efforts among key partners and stakeholders.

The African Union and its member states as well as Regional Economic Communities are working to attract the necessary capital from both public and private investors. Resource mobilization efforts involve engaging development finance institutions, multilateral banks, and potential donors to secure funding commitments for PIDA projects. PIDA implementing stakeholders are seeking to form robust alliances with the private sector, non-governmental organizations, and development partners to foster technical, logistical, and financial cooperation.

The PIDA Steering Committee meeting in Addis Ababa is expected to produce recommendations and targeted interventions for this year to enhance strategic coordination and collaboration for the implementation of PIDA’s priority projects. //Ends