Power, transport and information and communication technology infrastructure projects in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) have received an additional commitment from the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) and the US Trade Development Agency (USTDA), after the parties last month signed a cooperation agreement allowing for the accelerated development of such projects.
Large-scale projects will be prioritised towards the bankability phase through project preparation grants, capital funding and other funding mechanisms.
These include USTDA-funded, US-led feasibility studies, which will 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 will 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 will 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 life cycle and accelerate projects through to bankability,” the DBSA says in a statement.