AGCI Infrastructure
USAID's Africa Infrastructure Program supports the development of new African electricity souces
AGCI's infrastructure component is active in providing targeted technical assistance designed to improve African energy, transport, and information and communications technology (ICT) infrastructure and increase private investor interest in these sectors. In FY 2008, AGCI contributions to overcoming African infrastructure constraints included helping to conclude late-stage transactions in energy investment, expanding access to ICT, and conducting the technical analyses and capacity building needed to create efficient transport corridors and cross-border customs administration.
Recognizing the limited availability of electricity in sub-Saharan Africa-less than one in four people has access to reliable, affordable electricity-USAID launched the African Infrastructure Program (AIP) in 2008. This program represents a new approach to providing targeted technical assistance in the energy sector in Africa. Because electricity is central to all aspects of development and poverty reduction, the AIP supports the development of new African electricity sources.
AGCI projects are active in developing the capacity of Africa's power pools, which are essential to rationalizing the continent's energy markets and attracting investment in increasingly integrated, larger markets for energy. Ongoing AGCI support to strengthen regulator and power pool management capacity is having a tangible impact on the continent's ability to create functional regional energy markets and attract new investment in generation capacity.
In the transport sector, the Hubs were particularly active in helping to introduce ICT and management solutions to overcome regional transport inefficiencies. In West, East, and Southern Africa, the Hubs are expanding on innovative and important initiatives to reduce both legal and illicit bottlenecks along major trade corridors, establish single border posts, and computerize customs procedures. Combined, these initiatives reduce the time, cost, and red tape long associated with trading in Africa.
AGCI continues to help create and promote legal and regulatory frameworks that enable and encourage the successful operation of community-based ICT providers. AGCI aims to expand ICT access to underserved areas through community action and private sector participation.
In FY 2008, AGCI's signal accomplishments under the infrastructure component include:
- Launching the AIP, which is poised to provide high-value, targeted technical assistance across Africa to help bring complex electricity projects to financial closure.
- Leveraging over $64 million in new investment in infrastructure.
- Through improving customs clearance, saving an estimated $79 million in annual costs associated with trade.
- Enabling 250,000 Africans to get access to Internet services.
- Facilitating 25 public institutions obtaining telecommunications services.
- Training 1,095 Africans in energy-related policy and regulatory practices that meet international standards.
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