Infrastructure Africa 2016 has partnered with the African Development Bank (AfDB) to focus on Africa’s regional gender equality within the infrastructure space

Africa needs US$95 billion per annum within the coming decade to meet its infrastructure demands. The Continent’s need for infrastructure is driven by rising populations and rapid urbanisation and is causing a shift for all players in the sector. Africa must roll out its infrastructure plans if it is to meet its growth forecasts for the coming years; this growth can be fuelled in part by infrastructure spending. Internationally, the outlook is positive between now and 2020, signalling many new business opportunities for the sector across the continent.

According to the World Bank, Africa’s trade potential is undermined by the constraints that African women face. The contribution of women to trade is much less than it could be because of barriers that impinge on their trade activities, which jeopardises their capacity to grow and develop businesses. The AfDB has sought to mainstream gender in all its sectors, especially in sectors that it invests heavily in such as transport, energy and IT. Because so many women are breadwinners in Africa, if they are empowered in the infrastructure and other sectors, then their businesses can grow accordingly and Africa will benefit.

The upcoming fifth Infrastructure Africa Business Forum aims to accelerate the business of infrastructure development and women’s empowerment in Africa. The two-day conference and exhibition provides an opportunity for companies to focus on the continent’s growth hotspots, discuss infrastructure trends, meet project developers and relevant government authorities, whilst exploring infrastructure business opportunities.

In a move which will greatly enhance the conference’s offering and Africa’s trade potential, Infrastructure Africa has partnered with the African Development Bank (AfDB) to host the Africa Inclusive Infrastructure Forum (AIIF) from 9-10 June, 2016 at the Sandton Convention Centre, Johannesburg, South Africa.

Africa Inclusive Infrastructure Forum

The Africa Inclusive Infrastructure Forum will have a key focus towards issues of gender in infrastructure development across the continent. The event will discuss financing for women-owned businesses in the energy, transport, IT & telecoms and water sectors across Africa. Cross-border and regional trade will feature highly on the discussion agenda and ministers and industry specialists will participate and share their expertise and unpack a roadmap for the way forward.

The AIIF will act as the first regional policy dialogue of its kind. It is increasingly recognised that, for African economies to continue their recent substantial growth there is a need to address inequality, especially gender inequality. The AfDB has made gender one of the areas of special emphasis in all the Bank’s operational areas and across its ‘High-5s’.

The Infrastructure Africa Business Forum will once again offer attendees the exclusive formal business matchmaking programme to allow for crucial business networking. This programme affords all exhibitors and conference delegates the opportunity to meet and engage with this year’s high-level speakers, exhibitors, sponsors and delegates on a one-on-one private meeting basis at the event. It is uniquely designed to help delegates make the right contacts, fulfil their business and target market objectives and establish long-lasting and valuable contacts in the infrastructure space.

Key sectors to be featured at the 2016 event include: water, energy, IT & telecoms, transport and finance.

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Conference Overview

The African economy has undergone fundamental changes over the last decade. Growth in investor interest is driven by strong economic growth, rising foreign exchange reserves, quality and cost competitiveness and encouraging Government policy-making. The strong level of economic growth achieved in Africa in recent years has led to an expansion of industry, commerce and per capita income. This in turn has fuelled demand for infrastructure services including energy, transportation, ICT, water supply, growing agriculture and urban infrastructure.

Partnerships in Africa will pave the way for development and this annual conference will bring together Africa’s most senior business leaders, policy makers, regulators and media to advance debate and champion delivery of Africa’s critical infrastructure requirements, while providing expert advise on the current state of infrastructure and the anticipated impact of future development.

The Infrastructure Africa event, comprises of a two-day high-level conference, Ministerial Infrastructure and Development Roundtable discussion and the official Gauteng Infrastructure projects workshop.

Objectives

The Infrastructure Africa 2016 Business Forum aims to broadly cover the following topical themes in various business sessions:

 

• To provide a platform for informative and interactive sessions with the prime movers of Infrastructure sector across various spheres like Government, Policy makers, Industrial leaders, Academia and Potential investors.

• To enhance policy and regulatory framework to boost investor confidence in the infrastructure sector

• To find a way around to turn excruciatingly slow pace of infrastructure developments at the ground level

• To showcase some of Africa’s megaprojects

• To explore new potential areas in order to provide financial assistance as well as access to finance to the infrastructure players

• To focus on 5 key industry sectors and explore growth potential within these sectors, as well as unpacking challenges and obstacles and finding the solutions for growth in each sector.

• To encourage Public Private Partnership in the process of developing world class infrastructure