Abidjan - African Development Bank President Dr. Akinwumi Adesina on Saturday welcomed the idea that the infrastructure-related week-long meeting currently underway in Abidjan become a key annual event on Africa's development calendar. 

In a meeting on the sidelines of the first-ever Programme for Infrastructure Development (PIDA) gathering in the Ivorian capital, Mr. Adesina underscored the Bank's commitment to working with the African Union and the NEPAD Agency on a number of key projects. Speaking with NEPAD Agency CEO, Dr. Ibrahim Mayaki, he highlighted several planned interventions that the Bank plans to undertake, and encouraged the NEPAD Agency's active engagement in these initiatives. The energy sector was of particular importance Dr. Adesina said, noting that a 'new deal for energy in Africa' was needed. He added, “It is unacceptable that a vast number of Africans do not have access to electricity.” He further mentioned that moves were underway to concretely support the implementation of the goals and targets set out in the Malabo Declaration on agriculture.

Dr. Mayaki expressed his gratitude to the Bank's president for hosting the inaugural PIDA week emphasizing the need to ensure that the event become an annual platform to assess infrastructure development in Africa. The CEO remarked that the occasion had allowed for a frank exchange of views on gains achieved and outstanding challenges since the adoption of the PIDA programme in 2012. 

Dr. Mayaki further remarked that due to the support of the Bank, 16 experts would be assigned to the Regional Economic Communities to boost capacity on infrastructure development.

The objective of PIDA is to accelerate the implementation of regional and continental infrastructure by 2040. Its 51 cross-border infrastructure projects comprise more than 400 actionable sub-projects across four main infrastructure sectors, namely energy, transport, transboundary water and ICT. The short- to long-term projects will be implemented through the PIDA Priority Action Plan (PIDA-PAP), with an estimated total cost of USD360 billion up to 2040 for project implementation.  

Source: NEPAD Agency