Infrastructure in focus as stakeholders ready for Africa Road Builders confab

The challenge of road infrastructure will be the main focus of discussion when experts and stakeholders gather in the next couple of months for a conference to be hosted by the Africa Road Builders – Trophee Babacar NDIAYE.

The annual conference, already in its 10th edition, will be holding in two parts this year, according to Global Citirep Communications, an integrated marketing communications agency, appointed by the orgainsers to prospect and secure partners across Nigeria for the conference.

Hakeem Bello, Global Citirep CEO, explained in a statement obtained by BusinessDay that an inaugural conference had been slated for April in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) with the theme, ‘Transport in Africa: Services and Development.’

Bello added that the final conference would hold in May, in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire during the annual meetings of the African Development Bank (AfDB), pointing out that both conferences have been designed to assess all transport services and the environment in which these services are delivered in Africa, while offering insights for improvement and pushing for actions for the development of roads and transport.

He explained further that, as a determined response to the infrastructural challenges on the continent, the Africa Road Builders had, in the past 10 years, positioned itself as a platform for strategic reflections and actions in favour of road transport infrastructure in Africa.

“Though the event, an initiative spearheaded by African journalists, has enjoyed unalloyed support of the AfDB in the past 10 years, Global Citirep Communications, which is based in Lagos, has been appointed to prospect and secure partners across Nigeria for this 10th edition.

“According to a letter of mandate, addressed to the firm’s chief executive and signed by the General Commissioner of the Africa Road Builders -Trophee Babacar NDIAYE, Barthélemy Kouamé, Global Citirep has the responsibility of identifying and registering participants for both events.

“The firm is also to collect participation fees on behalf of the General Commission as well as undertake any initiatives aligned with the programme and pricing schedule provided by the General Commission to ensure robust participation from Nigeria”, he said.

Bello noted that this edition of the conference which would focus on transport services as a driver of economic and social development in Africa, would offer participants and sponsors various benefits, explaining that it would give them maximum visibility and reputation as well as a platform to report the progress being recorded in their various jurisdictions on road transport infrastructure.

“Like other developmental global platforms, the event aims at enhancing visibility and reputation, both as an individual delegate and as an entity operating in the mentioned fields. Regardless of your participation level, you are invited to share your ideas and experiences during presentations and ongoing discussions throughout the event,” he said.