Recommends Project Efficiency To Tackle Shrinking Aid
The Managing Director, Project Management Institute, Sub-Saharan Africa, George Asamani, has said stronger project management ensures better development outcomes, without placing additional tax burdens on citizens or increased national debt.
He said in Africa, where public debt levels are already placing pressure on national budgets and fiscal space is increasingly limited, improving efficiency in infrastructure delivery is no longer optional; it is essential.
“If the funding tap is tightening, the only viable response is better stewardship of the remaining resources. That means placing execution at the centre of fiscal policy. “Professionalising project management in the public sector is the single most powerful lever African governments can pull to stretch limited budgets. That said, professionalising project delivery is not without its challenges. Many governments still contend with institutional constraints, limited technical capacity, and high turnover in public sector roles. These realities underscore the need for long-term investment in skills development.
“Even a modest 10 per cent improvement in project delivery efficiency could translate into billions in savings, resources that could be redirected toward critical sectors such as education, healthcare, and public safety.
“When governments consistently implement visible, high-impact infrastructure projects, they build public trust, foster investor confidence, and stimulate employment. In the context of a rapidly growing youth population and pressing job creation needs, infrastructure delivery should be positioned not merely as capex but as an instrument for inclusive growth and economic resilience.”
Asamani maintained that Africa can no longer afford inefficiency, as every missed milestone, budget overrun, or failed audit is not just a governance issue, but a tax on future generations.
“That is why national treasuries must begin to view project management capability as a strategic economic asset. Government ministries should collaborate to embed delivery units staffed by qualified project professionals.
“Of course, embedding this level of project management rigour will not happen overnight. Strengthening delivery capability across ministries is a medium-term reform, but one that must begin now if future infrastructure investments are to deliver their intended outcomes.
“The announcement of deep cuts in US development assistance has cast a long shadow over Africa’s infrastructure ambitions. The African Development Fund, the continent’s principal vehicle for concessional financing, now faces a possible 37 per cent drop in donor contributions, with Washington potentially withdrawing entirely, according to the Centre of Global Development.
“As development partner contributions shrink, governments across the continent will need to take on a greater share of project financing through their own national budgets. That reality is sobering, but it also presents a compelling opportunity to re-imagine public investment through the lens of discipline, delivery, and results.”
