ICA shares findings of transport sector studies and investment opportunities with AfDB stakeholders
7 October 2016
The Infrastructure Consortium of Africa (ICA) held a one-day workshop at the African Development Bank (AfDB) in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, on 28 September 2016, to discuss the findings of three important transport studies – on opening up aviation services, urban transport development and trade facilitation.
The workshop, organised around the theme “ICA: Support to Transport Sector” was attended by AfDB officials from five departments, field officers, representatives from the private sector and officers from the ICA Secretariat.
The primary purpose of the workshop was to facilitate an exchange of ideas on three transport studies recently supported by the ICA. The first, on opening up aviation services in Africa, shared insights on barriers to the expansion of effective aviation services across Africa. The study on urban transport development in Sub-Saharan Africa identified specific opportunities for investment to improve sustainable urban transport and mobility in five African cities – Accra, Addis Ababa, Dakar, Dar es Salaam and Lagos. The study on trade facilitation assessed current transport and trade constraints in the West African Monetary Union (UEOMA) region and proposed solutions for improvement.
During the discussions, participants reflected on the ways and means of taking forward the key recommendations of the studies. These included:
- building a consensus approach with key stakeholders at both regional and national levels to develop solutions in the aviation sector;
- hosting an investors’ conference to present and discuss opportunities identified for improved urban transport projects delivery; and
- for trade facilitation, establishing a unified & centralised tracking system to allow members to track transactions and exchange data in real-time, and to make electronic payments.
In his concluding remarks, Mohammed Hassan, Coordinator of the ICA, told participants that it was important for the Bank’s division to “disseminate the findings of the three studies, share the recommendations but most importantly investment opportunities in Africa’s transport sector. Our all-inclusive consultations will undoubtedly help fast-track project delivery within the Bank and improve coordination, which is key to success when we engage external stakeholders and audiences.”
The Infrastructure Consortium for Africa (ICA) was launched at the 2005 G8 Gleneagles Summit, with the mission to help improve the lives and economic well-being of African people by supporting and promoting increased infrastructure investment from both public and private sources.
ICA also acts as a platform to increase infrastructure financing, help remove policy and technical barriers, facilitate greater cooperation, and increase knowledge through monitoring, reporting and sharing best practices.
Categories: General News, Transport