Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State, professional engineers and other stakeholders in the built environment have called for increased funding and investment in infrastructure in Africa so as to boost growth and fast-track development.
Sanwo-Olu and the professionals spoke at the 28th annual FIDIC Africa Infrastructure Conference with the theme, ‘Infrastructure development in Africa’, at the Eko Hotel and Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos, on Monday.
While lamenting the dearth of infrastructure in many African countries as one of the drawbacks to achieving meaningful growth, the speakers observed that the infrastructure deficit in sub-Saharan Africa was exacerbated by low investment and poor funding.
They called on government across the continent to give attention to the provision of critical socio-economic infrastructure that could catalyse growth in the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and stimulate prosperity.
“As the theme of this year’s conference, ‘Infrastructure Development in Africa’, connotes, you have dedicated this edition of your conference towards reawakening us as individuals, private organisations, and government to raise awareness about the critical role infrastructure plays in sustainable socio-economic development especially in a fast-growing and highly competitive global economy in the 21st century,” Sanwo-Olu said.
The governor, who was represented by Aramide Adeyoye, his special adviser on works and infrastructure, said the theme of the conference was particularly relevant because the lack of adequate infrastructure has been identified as one of the key factors responsible for the inability of Africa to realise its full economic potential despite being generously endowed in natural resources.
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Ajibade Oke, president, Association for Consulting Engineering in Nigeria (ACEN), said that about $11 trillion would be required to close the infrastructure gap in the critical sectors of the Nigerian economy. According to him, the increasing population in Africa places the burden on countries, including Nigeria to continue to invest in socio-economic infrastructure.
“There will always be a need for infrastructural development as population increases. This phenomenon is more apparent in Africa where population increases geometrically,” he said.
Kabelo Motswagole, president, International Federation of Consulting Engineers (FIDIC) Africa, said the conference theme was apt and at a time most governments in Africa were looking for alternative ways of funding infrastructure development and maintenance.
Motswagole states further that issues of sustainability and resilient infrastructure were important to Consulting Engineers; therefore the conference was expected to generate solutions and useful resources that could help the government in addressing the challenges of infrastructure.
