Photo by: Bloomberg
Power, transport and information and communication technology infrastructure projects in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) have received additional commitment from the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) and the US Trade Development Agency (USTDA), after the parties this week signed a cooperation agreement allowing for the accelerated development of such projects.
Large-scale projects would be prioritised towards bankability phase through project preparation grants, capital funding and other funding mechanisms.
These included USTDA-funded, US-led feasibility studies, which would link African project sponsors with US expertise at the critical early stages to provide the comprehensive analysis required for projects to reach bankable stage.
Pilot projects would also be considered with a view to providing a baseline and empirical project data that could be replicated across SSA and demonstrate the effectiveness of certain infrastructure solutions.
The USTDA would further provide funding towards technical assistance to support legal and regulatory reform, the establishment of industry standards and other capacity-building activities.
“These technical assistance programmes help to bridge gaps in the project development lifecycle and accelerate projects through to bankability,” the DBSA said in a statement.