FG Urges West Africa to Adopt PPPs for Infrastructure Growth
By Patience Ikpeme
The Federal Government has advised West African countries to use well-regulated business agreements between the public and private sectors to fix the lack of good roads, electricity, and other major facilities in the region.
The head of the government agency in charge of these partnerships gave this advice during a big meeting about West African infrastructure held in Abidjan.
A statement released on Sunday by the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission, which was signed by its media head, Ifeanyi Nwoko, explained that governments can no longer use only public money to build the roads, railways, houses, and water projects that the people need.
The Director General of the Commission, Dr. Jobson Oseodion Ewalefoh, said that these public-private partnerships, popularly known as PPPs, are now the best way forward. He explained that these agreements allow governments to work closely with private companies to bring in the money, skills, and new ideas needed to build and maintain public facilities.
Dr. Ewalefoh pointed out that because the need for new projects is much bigger than the money available in government accounts, West African leaders must create clear laws that make private investors feel safe enough to bring their money down.
He explained that while the government will keep choosing and starting projects on its own, it is also important to accept ideas brought directly by private investors. These ideas, called unsolicited proposals, happen when a private company spots a facility that the public needs, spends its own money to plan the project, and takes on the financial risks. This method, he noted, takes a heavy financial load off the shoulders of the government.
However, the agency boss made it clear that letting private companies bring their own ideas does not mean the government will stop its normal way of doing things. Instead, it is meant to support the government, especially when there is no money to start the heavy planning work that big projects require.
“An unsolicited proposal is a complementary proposal. We simply do not have enough public resources to develop every project through the solicited route. What we have done is to pragmatically transfer that responsibility and the associated risks of project development to the private sector,” Dr. Ewalefoh said.
He stated that even though these ideas come directly from private businesses, they still go through the same strict checks and testing that government-owned projects face.
To make sure things are done properly, Nigeria has set up strict rules. These include careful background checks on the companies, special bidding methods where other companies can compete, application fees that cannot be refunded, and financial guarantees. This ensures that only serious businesses with real money are allowed to handle these projects.
Dr. Ewalefoh also called on international development partners to spend more money on planning and preparing projects. He noted that while many international groups want to put money into finished project plans, they usually run away from paying for the initial heavy planning work.
“If everyone agrees that Africa lacks bankable projects, then we must ask why development partners are unwilling to invest in preparing those projects. That is precisely the gap unsolicited proposals help to fill,” he said.
He added that West Africa’s growing need for good infrastructure means leaders must look for new ways to get money that fit the reality of the region.
To make this work across the region, Dr. Ewalefoh advised West African countries under ECOWAS to work together closely. He suggested creating a network where different countries can share knowledge, train their workers, and use the same high standards to check cross-border projects.
At the end of the meeting, other experts agreed that bringing in private investors through these partnerships remains the most realistic way to close the infrastructure gap and bring real economic growth to West Africa.
Dr. Ewalefoh stated that Nigeria remains fully ready to make its partnership environment better by using open regulations and good governance to bring in trusted private investors who will build lasting facilities for Nigeria and the rest of West Africa.
