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UNION AFRICAINE1
AFRICAN UNION
UNIÃO AFRICANA
P. O. Box 3243, Addis Ababa, ETHIOPIA Tel.: (251-11) 5182402 Fax: (251-11)
5182450
Department of Infrastructure and Energy
Press release
Launch of the PIDA Continental Business Network (CBN)
Cape Town, South Africa, 1st June 2015. A one-day meeting was organized to
launch the PIDA Continental Business Network (CBN) which is an African Union
Heads of State and Government response to facilitate private sector advice and
leadership in the implementation of the priority continental infrastructure projects
through the creation of a high-level private sector forum. The objective of the CBN is to
provide an Infrastructure Investment Advisory platform for African leaders on a range
of strategic issues like policy, investment risks, project structuring and specifically the
existing constraints to the implementation of the PIDA projects. The Network will
comprise leading African and global business and finance bodies as well as regional
and international organizations. In addition the CBN will engage and advance private
sector priorities and requirements to invest in regional and cross-border projects.
As part of the opening ceremony, H.E. Dr. Elham Mahmoud Ahmed Ibrahim,
Commissioner for Infrastructure and Energy recalled that PIDA was adopted in 2012
and many progresses have been done in terms of institutional arrangements, capacity
building programs, better knowledge of the selected PIDA Priority Action Plan projects.
However in order to meet the 2020 PIDA delivery, she urged to keep the Dakar
Financing Summit momentum and mobilize all needs and instruments to ensure
concrete realization of the projects on the ground. “ Our today gathering is without any
doubt a developers one and therefore let us do less speeches and focus on concrete
and tangible actions on the ground. High expectations are placed on the results of our
initiative “ she concluded.
The CEO of NPCA, the AfDB Vice President Infrastructure, Private Sector and
Regional Integration Department as well as Senior officials of private sector, attended
the meeting. The keynote address on behalf of H.E. President Macky Sall, Chair of the
HSGOC was delivered by H.E. Momar Diop, Ambassador of Senegal in South Africa.
The main outcomes of the meeting are the following:
Six initial priority themes were agreed to be implemented by January 2016:
1. Mobilizing Public Sector & Private Sector Engagement for Early Stage PIDA
Project Development
2. Project Structuring, Finance and Operation
3. Managing Regional Project Investment Risk
4. Fast-Tracking and Incentivizing Private Sector Procurement
5. Developing a Practical & Effective Working Relationship with PIDA and Africa’s
leaders
6. Enable governments and public entities responsible for implementing projects to
access high quality independent technical advisory services
The outcomes of the event will be submitted to the June AU Summit to be held in
South Africa.