APD 2025 to focus on finding solutions to the continent’s infrastructure deficit

The highly anticipated Africa Prosperity Dialogues (APD 2025), which will take place in Accra, from Thursday, 30 January, to Saturday, 1 February 2025, will focus on finding tangible solutions to the continent’s infrastructure deficit.

The Founder and Executive Chairman of Africa Prosperity Network (APN), Mr Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko made this known its annual Partners’ Cocktail engagement at the offices of the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) secretariat, Trade House, in Accra, on Friday, 29 November 2024.

The ceremony attendees, included headline sponsors of APD 2025 (BADEA – Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa, MTN, Planet One Group, Tetracore Energy Group, Devtraco Group Imperial Homes Shelter Afrique, MIIF, Myla Homes, JL Properties, Inc. Golden Coast Properties and Kasapreko PLC and lead sponsor for the Africa Prosperity Champions Awards (APCA) 2025, Telecel Ghana.

Mr Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko, noted that to achieve the prosperity of the African continent, measures must be taken to guarantee the free movement of goods and services across its over 50 borders.

Mr Otchere-Darko observed that to bridge the continent’s existing infrastructure gap, the private sector must be engaged across the continent to drive the efforts aimed at building the requisite roads, railway lines, and air transport services, among others, in order to fast-track to the continent’s quest to achieve a single market.

“We need to aggregate our worth, our work, the riches of our continent, the richness of our minds, and our potential. We need to find a way to somehow ignite what we have, working together – the politicians, business leaders, thought leaders — and all of us towards that singular goal of achieving the world’s largest single market,” Gabby Otchere-Darko said.

APD 2025, organised by APN, is themed “Delivering Africa’s Single Market through Infrastructure: Invest. Integrate. Connect.” Over 1,000 business leaders, captains of industry, entrepreneurs, and heads of government on the African continent are expected to participate in what will be the third (3rd) edition of the Dialogues.

In a speech read on his behalf, Wamkele Mene, Secretary General of AfCFTA, said that “projections show that a fully implemented AfCFTA could create a market with combined consumer and business spending of $6.7 trillion by 2030 and $16.12 trillion by 2050” in Africa.”

He said that the theme of APD 2025 “is particularly relevant” because “infrastructure underpins the AfCFTA’s success by reducing the cost of trade and enabling the seamless movement of goods, services, and people.” But “without investments in transport corridors, energy systems, and digital networks, the full potential of the AfCFTA cannot be realised,”.

“To bridge this gap, we call on all stakeholders to invest in Africa’s future. The private sector, in particular, has a critical role to play in unlocking infrastructure development through public-private partnerships (PPPs),” Mr Mene said.

Ghana’s Minister for Energy, Herbert Krapa, observed in his remarks that some of the most critical infrastructure projects on the African continent are in the energy sector.

Africa’s industrialisation and single market, according to Mr Krapa, will be powered by energy, and for that matter, the continent’s energy infrastructure must be at the forefront of deliberations at APD 2025.

Among others, Mr Krapa suggested that the APD 2025 ought to propose ways to harness Africa’s sustainable energy sector potential: develop solar and hydropower capacity; enhance cross-border energy collaboration, public-private partnerships (PPPs) in the energy sector, and tariff harmonisation; establish the African Single Electricity Market (AfSEM) and; harness the continent’s gas reserves to power its industry.

Charles Abani, United Nations (UN) Resident Coordinator in Ghana, said the UN is committed to supporting APN for its upcoming APD 2025. He observed that five key issues have recently captured the UN’s attention, and he believes that they should also be given attention at APD 2025.

They are sustainability financing, improving digitalisation infrastructure, improving food systems, creating jobs and managing social protection, and addressing the need to trade among African countries.

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