The UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), in conjunction with the Korea Energy Economic Institute, organized a workshop on the implementation of public-private partnerships (PPPs) in the energy sector in Africa, where experts considered how to enhance private sector participation in Africa's energy sector through the use of PPPs.
1 July 2011: The UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), in conjunction with the Korea Energy Economic Institute, organized a workshop on the implementation of public-private partnerships (PPPs) in the energy sector in Africa. The workshop, which was held from 30 June-1 July 2011 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, focused on how to enhance private sector participation in Africa’s energy sector through the use of PPPs.
The objectives of the workshop included: enhancing the capacity of African countries to mobilize increased financial, technical and human resources to support the region’s clean energy development; providing an opportunity for public and private sector participants to exchange experiences and new ideas, and to discuss practical strategies for implementation of PPPs to improve energy service delivery; and providing energy/infrastructure agencies with the necessary skills and competencies needed to realize sustainable and bankable PPP projects. The workshop included a special focus on the main components of a PPP implementation framework, consistent with good governance principles.
During the workshop, participants heard presentations on, among other things: a comprehensive scheme for the development of resources and energy infrastructures between African countries and South Korea; the private sector’s perspective for addressing challenges in the PPPs in the power sector; increasing private sector investment in generation and access in order to enhance service delivery in the energy sector; and financing power projects in Africa. Speaking at the opening of the workshop, Hamdok Abdalla, Director, UNECA Governance and Public Administration Division, underlined the importance of the private sector in achieving sustainable development and the importance of collaboration between the private and public sectors, noting that, “through PPP, the private sector can bring in additional funding for public projects, besides valuable technical and managerial experience.” Experts speaking at the workshop also underscored that no other infrastructure sector inhibits economic growth across the African continent more than the power sector. [Workshop Website] [UNECA Press Release]