Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 18 September 2019: The second edition of the Policy Dialogue on facilitating the implementation of the Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa (PIDA) themed “Commitment of AU Member States for accelerated development of regional and continental infrastructure” will be held in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea from 24 to 26 September 2019.
Organized by the African Union Commission (AUC), in collaboration with Republic of Equatorial Guinea, the African Development Bank (AfDB), the African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD) and the United Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), the policy dialogue aims to facilitate the implementation of PIDA and get a consensus on the development process of the next phase.
According to the African Union Commission Director for Infrastructure and Energy, Mr. Cheikh Bedda, the Dialogue will be organized to provide an avenue for discussion and examination of key findings from the benchmarking studies, draft corridor approach and project selection criteria. Critical issues on infrastructure development and industrialization will be discussed and make recommendations that will contribute to the process, mainly for the selection criteria for PIDA PAP 2.
“The Dialogue will also include a review of project funding mechanisms as advocated by PIDA and propose alternatives to mobilize resources for project implementation. The importance of the maritime transport sector on PIDA PAP 2, the implementation of the revised African Maritime Transport Charter and a consideration of the infrastructure needs of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) with a view to identifying joint actions will also be highlighted,” Mr. Bedda highlighted.
Participants will engage with each other in an open, dynamic and multi-stakeholder format, geared towards knowledge sharing, mutual learning and the production of concrete recommendations. Key resources persons from the private sector, academia, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), the African Network for Women in Infrastructure (ANWIn) and youth will present their perspectives on issues and specific experiences and stimulate discussion by the participants.
The second PIDA Policy Dialogue will attract over 400 delegates including representatives from the AU Member States who are responsible for the following sectors: Transport, Energy, Tourism and Infrastructure sectors; agencies responsible for promoting infrastructure investments; Specialised Agencies and Institutions; Regional Economic Communities (RECs), civil society and the private sector, UN agencies, Youth, Women and development partners including key maritime stakeholders.
The conference would have keynote speeches, high level panel discussions, Peer to Peer round-table discussions and visionary presentations.
