The Nigerian government said it intends spending about N70 billion on infrastructural development within the country's capital city Abuja. This was disclosed by Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Mohammed Musa Bello at the opening ceremony of the Abuja Investment Expo themed: “Land development: A catalyst for economic advancement.” But the spending plan has to…

Sometime in January this year I was in my hometown Abeokuta. I was interested in seeing how governance had fared and a close friend had driven me around the town...

Former Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON), Mustafa Chike-Obi has called for adjustment in the tax benefit of Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) to encourage investments in the real estate sector. Chike-Obi, who spoke at the maiden edition of Fusion of Real Estate, Interior Design and Art (FREIA)…

In this forth article on the subject of clean energy, climate change and poverty reduction we continue with emerging trends and case studies as reported in the 2015 Africa Progress Report (“APR”). The story of Rwanda continues to inspire as the country continues to develop solutions. Starting from an extremely low base, Rwanda expanded electricity…

Alhaji Abdullahi Abbas, the Plateau Commissioner for Solid Mineral Resources, has decried the neglect of host communities by mining companies in the state. He alleged that 95 per cent of their workforce were foreigners. ``The law says that 70 per cent of the workforce should be from the host communities, but in my recent tour…

Compliments of the new season to all our readers! We trust that you have come back well refreshed and ready to tackle 2016 as we continue to design solutions for Africa.

It is human nature to always think and believe that we know it all, but it is really interesting to note how much we don’t know when we continue reading, researching and dreaming of solutions for sustainable development.

In this article we continue with our discussion on credit enhancement and risk mitigation instruments to facilitate infrastructure investments. We take a particular look at the role of Export Credit Agencies, commonly known as ECAs. These are predominantly public agencies and entities that provide government-backed loans, guarantees and insurance to facilitate exports from their home…

In recent articles we have spoken about credit enhancement to accelerate infrastructure investment. Our experience in the African market has shown that credit enhancement is critical to attract foreign direct investment towards infrastructure.

One of the central challenges we face in infrastructure development is to understand the interplay between political forces and economic forces. Political power and the power of free enterprise run in parallel tracks.

Sovereign guarantees are given by host governments to assure project lenders that the government will take certain actions or refrain from taking certain actions affecting the project.

Most great cities were established and grew due to a place-based function. Ports such as London and Cairo hosted trade by ship for millennia. Some cities were defensive centers in strategic locations, or located at the crossroads or terminal points of important trade routes. Generally, cities grow when access to raw materials expands by trade,…