Introduction
Too often, many great ideas for energy, transportation, water and ICT infrastructure projects in Africa have withered on the vine because project developers, managers, promoters and entrepreneurs have been unable to secure the finance needed for the vital project preparation phase – the research, activities and processes that have to be undertaken before a proposed infrastructure project might be of interest to potential financiers.
Whether a new infrastructure initiative is large or small, and whatever the sector, issues around the institutional, legal, social, environmental, financial, regulatory and engineering aspects need to be fully addressed in order to take an idea from a concept to a clearly defined and fully structured project proposal, ready to be considered by potential funders.
To help grow the number of new “ready for funding” infrastructure projects across the continent, the Infrastructure Consortium for Africa (ICA) has developed a number of initiatives.
The Fund Finder
The Fund Finder is a searchable database that can help African entrepreneurs, project promoters and managers locate potential sources of project preparation funding. By entering simple information about, for example, the size of your proposed project, sector and region or country, you can identify institutions that might be interested in the opportunity to consider providing financial support for the preparation phase of your project. The organisations in the Fund Finder are members of the Project Preparation Facilities Network – the PPFN.
The PPFN
The Project Preparation Facilities Network (PPFN) is a network of funding organisations that work together to drive sustainable infrastructure development in Africa, including through providing financial resources for infrastructure project preparation. You can read more about the PPFN here.
The ICA has also prepared a Project Preparation Checklist, to help infrastructure project developers and promoters stay focussed on the key issues involved in project preparation, and has provided answers to a number of frequently asked questions.
Disclaimer: The list of funding facilities within the Fund Finder database was compiled by the ICA using publicly-available information, and reviewed in collaboration with each of the funding facilities. The information is kept under regular review and every effort is made to ensure accuracy. However, the ICA cannot guarantee the accuracy, completeness or reliability of the information in the Fund Finder database. Any decision or action you take based on the information in the Fund Finder database is entirely at your own risk. The ICA will not be liable for any loss or damage in connection with the use of the information in the Fund Finder database, or elsewhere on this website.