South Africa has sought the collaboration of the Nigerian government on mutually beneficial infrastructure development through Public Private Partnerships (PPPs).
South African High Commissioner to Nigeria, Tharmi Mseleku disclosed this when he led a team of officials on a courtesy visit to the Director General of the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC), Mr Michael Ohiani.
In a statement by Ag Head, Media and Publicity of the Commission Manji Yarling on Friday in Abuja, Mseleku noted that although both Nigeria and South Africa were learning from each other in implementing PPPs, there was a need for both countries to rekindle their collaboration and take it to a greater height.
“We are here to get the information about the kind of infrastructure that is envisaged to be developed through PPPs because we have the capacity to support, both from the financing and technical point of view,” he said.
He disclosed that Development Bank of South Africa (DBSA) was part of the financiers of the Kano-Maradi rail project, adding that the bank was willing to do more in the area of financing.
“The DBSA is not the only one looking to finance infrastructure from that perspective, they have the capability to also support the post-contract processes.
“We came to have a conversation so that we can open the doors to rekindle the relationship. South Africa is open for business,” he said.
Receiving the delegation, IDRC Director General, noted that the relationship between both countries on PPPs dates back to the inception of ICRC when members of staff went on a study tour of the South African PPP institutions.
Ohiani hinted that from then on, the Commission had recorded great milestones with many PPP projects already underway.
“Over the years, we now have 82 ongoing PPP projects that we are regulating. From 2010 to date the Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved 102 PPP projects that are worth N10.8 trillion to be invested in by the private sector.
“We have been able to achieve a lot in terms of using PPP to deliver on the infrastructure needs of the country,” he said.
The ICRC boss told the envoy that the Commission had also established a PPP Training Institute called the Nigerian Institute for Infrastructure and PPP (NII3P) where training is offered on PPPs, with an MBA in PPP programme also available in Partnership with the Malaysian University for Science and Technology.
Ohiani said South African companies were already engaged in PPPs in Nigeria while some others were indicating interest.
“We look forward to having further collaborations especially as it relates to the Africa PPP Network (AP3N) which is scheduled to hold in South Africa later in the year,” he said.
German leader Scholz drums support for increased global effort to tackle hunger, poverty
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has said there is a need for world leaders to urgently fight hunger, poverty and the challenges to growth.
Speaking at a global finance summit in Paris which has over 100 countries participating, on Thursday, Scholz said shared responsibility was paramount in the global fight against hunger, poverty, and climate change.
Scholz said: “Many countries, especially in the global South, have major challenges to overcome,’’.
“Many things that exist come together anyway: a challenge for growth and for fighting hunger and poverty, and then on top of that the necessary measures to deal with man-made climate change.’’
Scholz also called for greater cooperation in partnerships for a just energy transition in the fight against climate change.
He cited past successes in climate financing, where Germany has made far-reaching commitments.
“We will continue to do so and remain committed to our pledges.’’
Development opportunities must also be sustainable, while progress must also be made in ensuring that raw materials were first processed locally, the German leader said.
