• 1000 participants committed to infrastructure development
• Conference-debates, panels and “B to B” meetings
• 04 recommendations, at the end Works
«I“Invest in African infrastructure to impact the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).” It is under this theme that the Ministry of Infrastructure and Opening Up, in partnership with the Bitel Group firm, organized from August 31 to September 2, 2023, in Ouagadougou, the 1re edition of Africa Infrastructures Forum. This regional-scale event brought together actors from the infrastructure sector, policy makers and international experts…around one thousand (1000) people, according to the organizers, all committed to supporting the development of infrastructure on the African continent.
“It is particularly important, during this meeting, to take stock of existing infrastructures at the national, sub-regional and continental level, with a view to identifying integrating projects. On the basis of the reflections, emphasis would be placed on respecting norms and standards in terms of quality and sustainability of infrastructure,” specified the Minister of Infrastructure and Opening Up, Adama Luc Sorgho, at the opening of the work. Mali and Niger came with official delegations. For the Minister in charge of Transport of Mali, Madina Dembélé Sissoko, infrastructure issues are topical, because infrastructures are the first indicators of development of a country and skills are needed to carry out worthy studies and also the technicality so that these infrastructures meet African standards. “We have an advantage, because everything that is material in the construction of infrastructure, we have in quantity and quality. We have lots of well-crafted projects. We need a partnership to have a clear idea on their implementation,” she recognized. The Minister of Transport and Equipment of Niger, Salissou Mahaman Salissoun, welcomed the interest of this forum which raises the question of opening up his country.
During the three days, participants took part, among other things, in conference debates, panels and “B to B” meetings. In total, four (04) panels allowed participants to debate the issues of financing, construction of sustainable and quality roads, and the protection of structures in areas with strong security challenges. The inaugural conference served as a framework to identify the context with the theme: “The African Continental Free Trade Area ZLECAF: objectives, state of play, priorities and security challenges”. The different panels focused respectively on: “Infrastructure financing in Africa: current situation and perspectives”; “Integration of African cross-border and regional infrastructures”; “Emergencies and priorities in terms of infrastructure” and “Quality and sustainability of infrastructure, role and responsibility of stakeholders: what governance and what regulatory provisions? “.
At the end of the work, 4 main recommendations were formulated by the stakeholders. This involves, in particular, taking into account the rural road component in the development and implementation of sub-regional projects, the treatment of the question of financing road maintenance in a panel at the next edition of the forum, the establishment of a strategy to promote local skills and encourage students trained abroad to return to serve the homeland and the development of long-term development strategies (at least 25 years) , accompanied by five-year plans taking into account the transport, ICT, energy and water sectors. “We are satisfied with this first edition, because we were able to have discussions on several aspects of the field. Which is good for the ministry in charge of infrastructure and for Africa. The recommendations that were made will be taken into account for future editions. Also, within our departments, we will try to put them into practice,” indicated the Burkinabè Minister of Infrastructure, Adama Luc Sorgho.
The first edition of Africa Infrastructures Forum was placed under the patronage of the President of the Transition, Captain Ibrahim Traoré, and under the sponsorship of the CEO of the EBOMAF Group, Mahamadou Bonkoungou.o
Moumouni SIMPORE
