African Infrastructure Investment Survey
8 June 2015
The Infrastructure Consortium for Africa (ICA) today launched its annual survey to capture private sector views on the opportunities and challenges of implementing infrastructure projects in Africa.
The online survey, which covers the ICA’s core energy, water, transport and ICT sectors as well as mining and construction, has been designed by UK-based business intelligence company Cross-border Information (CbI) to complement the ICA’s established work promoting infrastructure investment and development and tracking infrastructure financing trends.
The African Infrastructure Investment Survey is aimed at all private sector participants in infrastructure projects – equity investors, lenders and professional services providers – and looks at factors such as:
- investment considerations
- risks to be addressed
- delays experienced with projects
- top investment locations
- sector investment trends
- availability of finance
- investment support
- experience with PPPs
- best returns
The survey may be viewed online here
“The survey aims to provide a better understanding of private sector investment concerns and motivations, in order to help governments, development and multinational finance institutions and other stakeholders shape more attractive investment opportunities and successful projects” said CbI managing director Mark Ford.
Through collated and analysed results, private sector respondents will be able to compare their experiences with peers and discover how their views fit with the wider private sector picture.
Respondents to last year’s survey identified 'obtaining finance', 'corruption and lack of transparency' and an inadequate legislative and regulatory environment as the most important factors causing bottlenecks in project preparation, while South Africa, Nigeria and Kenya were selected as the three countries most attractive for investment.
“The new survey examines the private sector’s experiences with PPP projects, takes a closer look at experiences with project delays and asks for views on the availability of finance and sufficiency of private sector investment support”, said Mark Ford.
Information submitted though the survey will be used and displayed only in an aggregated form. Individual responses will remain confidential.
The ICA is separately surveying its members, which include the G8 countries, South Africa, African Development Bank, Development Bank of Southern Africa, European Commission, European Investment Bank, and the World Bank Group. ICA members reported a 35% annual rise in commitments for 2013 to $25.3bn, including approximately $7bn in commitments attributed to the US presidential initiative, Power Africa.
The results of both surveys will be published in the fourth quarter of 2015 in the ICA’s annual report: Infrastructure Financing Trends in Africa, 2014.
Download the 2013 report, published November 2014.
Background
Launched at the G8 Gleneagles Summit in 2005, the role of the Infrastructure Consortium for Africa (ICA) is to help improve the lives and economic well-being of Africa’s people through encouraging, supporting and promoting increased investment in infrastructure in Africa, from both public and private sources. Using its convening power, ICA acts as a catalyst – enhancing, accelerating and precipitating the development of Africa’s infrastructure.
ICA also works to help remove some of the technical and policy challenges and barriers to building more infrastructure and to better co-ordinate the activities of its members and other significant sources of infrastructure finance, such as China, India and Arab partners.
Since its inception in 2005, the ICA has produced an annual report documenting financial trends in African infrastructure. The annual report details the commitments and disbursements made by ICA members (G8 countries, South Africa, African Development Bank, Development Bank of Southern Africa, European Commission, European Investment Bank, and the World Bank Group) to African infrastructure projects
Cross-border Information (CbI) was first contracted by the ICA in 2013 to provide the research and analysis for the annual Infrastructure Financing Trends in Africa report – 2012. CbI designed and launched the first ICA private sector for that same report.
The 2013 report was published in November 2014. Download the 2013 report
About CbI
Established in 1989, Cross-border Information (CbI) is a business intelligence company focused on Africa and the Middle East.
Led by a team of experienced regional specialists, CbI provides clients with strategic analysis, reputational due diligence, and infrastructure consultancy services. CbI also publishes online news and analysis including African Energy and Gulf States News (GSN), and produces its own events.
CbI has an extensive network of in-country sources, which help it to better understand the culture and dynamics of local markets. Unlike many companies in the market CbI does not have to rely on third party information collectors.
For more information contact
Nick Carn
Director
Cross-border Information
T: +44(0)1424 721667
Categories: ICA Press Releases, General News