Keynote Speech

of

H.E. Prof. Dr. Mostafa Madbouly

Egyptian Prime Minister

at

the 5th Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa (PIDA) WEEK 2019

Cairo

25 November 2018

DR. IBRAHIM ASSANE MAYAKI – THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER OF THE NEW PARTNERSHIP FOR AFRICA'S DEVELOPMENT (NEPAD) AGENCY

DR. AMANI ABOU ZEID - COMMISIONER FOR INFRATSRCTURE AND ENERGY - AFRICAN UNION COMMISSION (AUC)

Distinguished Ministers,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

At the outset, let me convey the greetings and best wishes of His Excellency President Abdel Fattah El Sisi, President of the Arab Republic of Egypt. And on behalf of Prof. Dr. Mostafa Madbouly, the Prime Minister of Egypt, who was keen to be here with us today but unfortunately due to unforeseen work commitment he will not be able to attend that event, and indeed on my own behalf, I would like to welcome you all in Egypt.

I am honored to speak to you today at the opening of the fifth edition of the Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa (PIDA) WEEK 2019, which is one of the most important African events that provide a platform for African countries to meet with international and regional development partners from the governmental, multilateral and private sectors in order to check the progress made in the implementation of infrastructure projects on the continent. Africa as one of the main themes of the African Development Agenda 2063.

The theme of the fifth Africa Infrastructure Week, entitled “Positioning Africa to deliver on Agenda 2063 and economic integration through multi-sectorial approaches to infrastructure development” reflects a new perspective and vision for the implementation of infrastructure projects in Africa, which seeks to prepare the continent's countries for the implementation of the 2063 Agenda, providing the economic integration through a multi-sectoral move to develop infrastructure, and to maximize the involvement of the private sector in the implementation of infrastructure projects.

This new vision comes from the joint African action that has always sought to promote all aspects of the process of economic and regional integration in the African continent, especially the development of infrastructure sectors. We believe that despite the progress made by our continent in the field of infrastructure since the transformation of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) to the African Union in 2002, it still suffers from a very weak infrastructure in all fields which obstructing the comprehensive development. Where many regions of the continent lack a modern and advanced infrastructure that enables them to move forward in the development process, this is what we see in the suffering of a number of African countries from the acute shortage of energy sources, the poor transport infrastructure, and the associated weak capabilities and services related to ports, airports and railways.

These challenges threaten the gains made by the continent over the past decades, as well as the joint African efforts to upgrade the capabilities of the African continent in pursuit of the aspirations of our African peoples.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

We are gathering today with the realization that the implementation of the African Development Agenda 2063 is based on providing an advanced infrastructure with sustainable services in light of its commitment to attract investments and promote intra-African trade to achieve the regional and economic integration that our countries and peoples aspire to.

In this context, allow me to pay tribute to all the efforts made by the African Union through the Infrastructure Development Program in Africa (PIDA), which is the main framework for the development of infrastructure, including road, marine and air linkage projects, the development of telecommunication networks, electrical interconnection and railways, as well as upgrading human resources in all these areas.

The issue of infrastructure development in Africa has become a fateful issue of concern to African political leaders who strive to realize the hopes and aspirations of their peoples for development, modernization and decent living.

In this context, we cannot overlook to the African initiatives that seek to connect the African continent to facilitate integration and achieve comprehensive development, such as the Presidential Initiative for Infrastructure Development in Africa (PICI), including projects to link the continent, such as the Cairo-Cape Town Corridor, And the linkage projects such as the project linking Lake Victoria and the Mediterranean, which serves African landlocked countries and provides them with economic access to the rest of the continent and the outside world, the Trans-Saharan Highway, the Trans-Saharan Gas Pipeline Project, and the Fiber Optic Line Project from Algeria to Nigeria via Niger and the fiber optic network linking Rwanda and neighboring countries.

In this context, allow me to pay tribute to the efforts made by the African continent's leadership within the framework of the African Union to promote infrastructure development projects in the continent, and its keenness to strengthen cooperation with international partners and international, continental and regional institutions to provide the necessary financing for the implementation of infrastructure projects, as well as the incentives provided to encouraging the participation of the African private sector in the implementation of the continent's projects, reflecting the African continent's ownership of its projects and the comprehensive development process throughout the continent.

I would also like to mention the results of the meetings of the Specialized Technical Committee on Energy, Transport, Irrigation, Tourism and Telecommunications held in Cairo in May 2019, as well as the results of the Meeting of Infrastructure Ministers of the Presidential Infrastructure Champion Initiative (PICI) on October 2019 in Cairo. including the declaration of Sudan's accession to the list of Member States of the initiative.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I would like to stress once again on the importance of mobilizing and encouraging investment in the areas of infrastructure in particular, especially transport, communications and information technology, as it is necessary to reap the benefits of the continental free trade agreement and to promote effective trade exchange between African countries, thus creating more productive employment opportunities and attracting More investments for competitive sectors across the continent.

I am pleased to announce that Egypt, at the request of the African Union Development Agency (NEPAD), will be the Champion of the project to develop the Continental Transmission Master Plan, and Egypt looks forward to working with various stakeholders and development partners to implement this Huge and promising project.

The implementation of this project will enable the African countries to make optimal use of the huge energy resources available to the continent through the establishment of a single African energy market to contribute to finding practical solutions to the issue of energy shortage, considering that the desired development in the African Union cannot be achieved without the provision of sustainable sources Energy, good management and development of renewable resources.

In conclusion, I wish you well during this event and I am confident that your efforts to achieve the well-being of the African people will be credible and that our beloved continent will be well placed.

Thank you for your kind attention