2021 is perceived as an opportune time to reflect on what the Presidential Infrastructure Champion Initiative (PICI) has achieved thus far and some critical considerations moving forward. Two main considerations drive such significance.
First, 2021 marks the 10th anniversary since the Presidential Infrastructure Champion Initiative was officially launched in January 2011.
Second, this year witnessed a significant milestone in the implementation of the Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa (PIDA) as the continent embarks on the second phase of the PIDA Priority Action Plan (PIDA PAP II) for the period 2030-2021, and PIDA together with the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) accelerates the fulfilment of an integrated Africa, as as framed by Agenda 2063.
The PIDA PAP II project portfolio, driven by an integrated Corridor approach, entails 69 projects reflecting the AU vision within the framework of Agenda 2063 while balancing the aspirations of the respective Regional Economic Communities and Member States. As in the first phase, the championing of the shortlisted projects at the highest levels will be essential to accelerate the implementation of the PIDA PAP II.
Given the said importance, AUDA-NEPAD, in its capacity as the PICI Secretariat, organised a webinar on 14th July 2021 as part of a strategic webinar series for Member States to map the way forward for PICI, in collaboration with other implementing stakeholders.
Furthermore, the webinar constituted a significant platform to bring more visibility to the PICI implementation process.
Due to the large PICI project portfolio, the first webinar was confined to discuss solely PICI projects championed by Northern and Eastern Africa:
- Fibre from Algeria via Niger to Nigeria.
- Egypt: The Construction of Navigational Line between Lake Victoria and the Mediterranean Sea.
- Kenya: The Lamu Port - South Sudan – Ethiopia Transport Corridor (LAPSSET) Project.
- Sudan: The Sawakin, Port Sudan Project and two related infrastructure Projects.
- Rwanda: Unblocking Political Bottlenecks for ICT Broadband and Optic Fibre Projects Linking Neighbouring and Smart Africa Initiative.
The remaining PICI projects will be addressed in the second webinar tentatively scheduled in October 2021.