The Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa (PIDA), developed by the African Union Commission (AUC), NEPAD Agency, African Development Bank (AfDB), United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) and whose 51 programmes and projects are meant to fully interconnect, integrate, and transform the African continent, is an important step in the implementation of African Union’s Agenda 2063 infrastructure priority and is a stepping stone towards reaching the Sustainable Development Goals.

PIDA Week was inaugurated in 2015 as a marketing platform for selected PIDA Projects in order to fast track their implementation under the African Union Agenda 2063 framework, Africa’s vision for transformation.

When, where and who?

The third Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa (PIDA) Week will be held from 10 -14 December 2017 in Swakopmund, Namibia under the theme “Enhancing Trade and Economic Transformation through Regional Infrastructure Development”.

About 500 people are expected to attend the 2017 PIDA Week including the African Union Commission (AUC), the NEPAD Planning and Coordinating Agency (NEPAD Agency), the African Development Bank (AfDB) and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), Regional Economic Communities, member States, development partners, financial Institutions, private sector actors and financiers, consulting firms, banks, civil society, academia and members of the media to provide project owners and project sponsors from both public and private institutions an opportunity to interact and leverage financing for key PIDA projects.

High level personalities such as the President of the African Development Bank, the African Union Commissioner for Infrastructure and Energy and the NEPAD Agency Chief Executive officer are expected to attend the event.

What’s on the agenda?

PIDA Week 2017 will provide a platform for stakeholders to engage in accelerating and finding synergies in their efforts to:

1. Accelerate project preparation and implementation;
2. Mobilise adequate financial and technical resources for projects;
3. Increase private sector participation in PIDA implementation; and
4. Mobilise countries to integrate the PIDA projects into their national development plans.

Over the five-day period, PIDA Week 2017 will be facilitated through a combination of partner and statutory meetings, plenary and break-out sessions on the selected projects. Plenary will focus on trade and economic transformation through regional infrastructure development as well as an overview of the selected PIDA “Corridor” projects.

PIDA Week 2017 is expected to drive the implementation of the selected PIDA projects and their impact on enhancing trade and economic transformation in the continent. The event intends to build on the relative achievements and the momentum created in the previous two events in 2015 and 2016 to continue to engage stakeholders on the effective delivery of infrastructure on the continent.

Why Attend?

PIDA week aims to bring together all PIDA-related meetings including the Steering Committee, the Council for Infrastructure Development (CID), the Infrastructure Consortium for Africa (ICA) meetings, the NEPAD IPPF meeting, and the Continental Business Network meeting.  The integration of the aforementioned events into one PIDA week and the marketing of them is expected to create synergies between the different implementation initiatives and will enhance PIDA as a brand.

The meeting will provide unrivalled access to Africa’s high-level personalities from politics and business, including policy makers, financiers, leading industrialists and project owners. It is, hence, a must-attend event for anyone doing business in Africa or wanting to gain unique insights in measures undertaken by African Heads of State and Government to present the selected PIDA projects and fast-track the implementation of those PIDA projects that are currently facing barriers.

Please visit this web page regularly for new information regarding the 2017 PIDA Week.