Initiated in 2015, PIDA Week has grown into a significant platform for stakeholders to discuss and promote infrastructure development across the African continent, providing opportunities to celebrate achievements, address challenges, and build strategic partnerships for future projects. By facilitating high-level discussions and knowledge-sharing, PIDA Week ensures more efficient resource allocation, accelerates project implementation, and creates a favorable environment for unlocking transformative investments. This, in turn, maximizes the impact of financial inputs, leveraging public and private sector contributions to drive sustainable infrastructure development across the continent. The sub-themes of the 8th PIDA Week are;

• Sub-theme 1: Advancing the Green Economy through Infrastructure Development

• Sub-theme 2: Enabling Infrastructure through Policy and Regulatory Frameworks

• Sub-theme 3: Digital Infrastructure for Africa’s Future

• Sub-theme 4: Innovative Financial Instruments and Mechanisms for Sustainable Infrastructure

• Sub-theme 5: Empowering Civil Society for Sustainable and Inclusive Infrastructure Development

The Host: The 2024 PIDA Week is hosted by the Government of Ethiopia. It convenes in the Ethio-Green Mobility 2024 (Symposium and Exhibitions) in the margins of PIDA Week to showcase its initiatives on green mobility, whilst exploring opportunities for a strengthened green economy and investments.

Objectives: The main objective of PIDA Week 2024 is to accelerate the implementation of PIDA by promoting transformative financing, advancing regional integration, and fostering sustainable infrastructure development across Africa. The specific objectives include:

1. To enhance visibility of the PIDA journey, successes, projects and impacts and the critical role and mandates of stakeholders in delivery of the PIDA vision.

2. To strengthen multilateral cooperation and engagements by emphasizing the importance of collaborative efforts along the value chain of infrastructure project preparation and implementation.

3. To advocate for increased financing for infrastructure across the continent for social economic development and to promote transformative financing by exploring and presenting innovative financing strategies, including green bonds and public-private partnerships, to support large-scale infrastructure projects across the continent.

4. To support the strengthening of green economies by discussing the impact of energy transition, green transport, and sustainable urban development on driving sustainable economic growth in Africa.

5. To build capacity and facilitate knowledge sharing by providing a platform for stakeholders to exchange best practices and enhance skills in infrastructure development.

6. Showcase PIDA instruments and generate conversions on their optimization and best practices towards upscale.

Expected Outcomes: PIDA Week 2024 is expected to achieve several key outcomes including:

1. Greater alignment of infrastructure development efforts with regional and continental priorities.

2. Strengthened multilateral cooperation, existing partnerships strengthened, new partnerships forged and commitments made towards infrastructure development, that is, increased investment, financial and political commitments for infrastructure projects.

3. Innovative financing models and private sector opportunities identified.

4. Improved capacity and increased resources of stakeholders to prepare and implement infrastructure projects.

5. Enhanced understanding of the progress and challenges in PIDA implementation.

6. Opportunities for the advancement of the Green Economy at a continental level identified.

7. Enhanced visibility of PIDA Projects.

Overall Event Structure

PIDA Week: The overall structure incorporates activities of the 8th PIDA Week and the Ethio-Green Mobility 2024 (Symposium and Exhibitions). Each day presents plenary sessions and parallel breakaway sessions that hosts, technical sessions, thematic sessions and roundtables as per the detailed agenda.

Day:1

• Opening Ceremony: The event shall host an opening featuring African Union Commission, AUDA-NEPAD, and other key stakeholders. The opening aims to set the tone for the PIDA week, emphasizing the importance of fostering resilient and inclusive infrastructure for Africa’s future.

• Thematic Sessions: The opening event sessions are focused on the theme and sub-themes of the event, addressing topics such as the development of resilient and inclusive infrastructure, financing regional infrastructure, the role of partnerships in achieving Africa’s development goals, and the strategic importance of regional integration through infrastructure.

Day 2 and 3:

• PIDA Thematic Sessions and Technical Sessions: These days are focused thematic sessions aligned to the sub-themes and delve deeper into the key PIDA sectors transport, transboundary water, ICT, energy and the preparation and implementation of large-scale infrastructure projects. Other discussions shall further highlight the critical role of digital technologies in modernizing Africa’s infrastructure, enhancing efficiency, sustainability, and resilience, and supporting the continent’s digital transformation; addressing the importance of robust policy and regulatory environments in facilitating infrastructure investment, improving governance, and ensuring that projects align with regional and continental goals and; the role of civil society organizations in ensuring infrastructure projects are inclusive and equitable.

• Deal Rooms: Roundtable discussions and deal rooms are to be set up for project owners to present their initiatives to potential investors, facilitating the formation of new partnerships and the signing of financing agreements. The deal rooms shall be three-fold; (i) projects at concept and pre-feasibility stage (ii) projects at market sounding stage and (iii) projects needing investment promotion.

Day 4

• Closing Ceremony: Day 4 shall allow for the continuation of technical sessions in the first half of the day and the latter part of the day serve as the closing. A communique providing a synthesis of discussions of the past

Day 5

• Field Visits: The final day includes field visits to selected infrastructure projects as recommended by the Host Government, offering participants first-hand insights into their impact on regional development and integration.

Host Governments Ethio-Green Mobility 2024 (Symposium and Exhibitions) Technical Sessions: The Exhibition shall take place from the 22th November and 30th November, 2024. Critical technical sessions focused on the integration of green economy principles into infrastructure projects, renewable energy, sustainable transport, and resource efficiency to ensure long-term environmental and economic benefits including exploring best practices, obstacles and next steps are to be introduced. Furthermore, the sessions shall explore innovative investment prospects in Ethiopia in Green Transport, with the goal of ensuring the country’s climate resilient green economy. It delves deeply into Ethiopia’s critical need to develop sustainable green transport solutions to battle global congestion and pollution, as well as investment prospects in green energy, such as electric vehicles (EV), and their role in job creation and economic growth. Access, efficiency, safety, reliability, and other factors will be prioritized. The discussion will look at how all stakeholders can pool their resources to create greener, safer, and more resilient transportation for all, particularly in Ethiopia.

Participants: This year’s conference, integrated with the Green Mobility Symposium and Exhibition, is anticipated to draw over 1,000 distinguished participants from across a broad spectrum of sectors. Notable attendees will include high-level representatives from African Union Member States, Regional Economic Communities, the African Union Commission (AUC), the African Union Development Agency-NEPAD, UNECA and the African Development Bank (AfDB). Key international bodies such as the GIZ,  European Union, JICA, Afreximbank and World Bank will also play pivotal roles. The event will welcome distinguished figures from multilateral banks and development finance institutions. The gathering will feature a diverse array of stakeholders, including influential project owners, developers, and preparation funds, as well as national and regional banks, private equity investors, and institutional investors like pension funds and insurance companies. Climate funds, accredited entities, and major international development partners such as USAID will be present, alongside NGOs, civil society organizations, media, and prominent academic and research institutions. Entrepreneurs from various industries and distinguished representatives from the African Forum for Utility Regulators and regional power pools will also contribute to the discourse, creating a rich environment for collaboration and innovation in Africa’s infrastructure and energy sectors.

Languages: The conference shall be in English and French with interpretations in Portuguese and Arabic for the opening.

Contact Details:

African Union Development Agency – NEPAD pidaweek@nepad.org