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The Director-General of the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC), Jobson Ewalefoh, has urged West African governments to deepen the adoption of Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) as a sustainable solution to the region’s growing infrastructure financing gap.
Speaking during a panel session at the ECOWAS Infrastructure Forum in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, Ewalefoh said governments can no longer depend solely on public funding to deliver critical infrastructure such as roads, railways, housing, water systems and other essential public assets needed to drive economic growth.
According to a statement issued by the ICRC’s Acting Head of Media and Publicity, Ifeanyi Nwoko, the commission’s Director-General stressed that stronger collaboration with the private sector is now essential to accelerate infrastructure development across the region.
He noted that Public-Private Partnerships have evolved beyond being an alternative procurement model, becoming a strategic tool for attracting private capital, technical expertise and innovation while ensuring more efficient allocation of project risks.
Africa continues to face one of the world’s largest infrastructure financing deficits. Estimates from the African Development Bank indicate that the continent requires between $130 billion and $170 billion annually to meet its infrastructure needs, yet faces a yearly financing gap of between $68 billion and $108 billion.
The shortfall has continued to hinder economic growth, industrialisation and regional integration, with inadequate transport networks, unreliable electricity supply, limited housing and insufficient water infrastructure remaining major development challenges across many African countries.
Ewalefoh said the magnitude of the infrastructure deficit makes it imperative for governments to leverage private investment to expand the delivery of critical projects.
He explained that while governments will continue to identify and procure priority projects through conventional PPP frameworks, there is significant potential to increase the pipeline of infrastructure investments through well-regulated unsolicited proposals initiated by private sector investors.
According to him, unsolicited proposals enable private firms to identify viable infrastructure opportunities, undertake project preparation using their own resources and assume the associated development risks, thereby reducing the financial burden on government.
He emphasised that these proposals are intended to complement, rather than replace, the traditional procurement process, particularly where governments lack sufficient resources to finance project preparation.
To strengthen investor confidence and improve project quality, Ewalefoh disclosed that Nigeria has enhanced its PPP framework through clearer eligibility criteria, stronger governance structures, the adoption of the Swiss Challenge procurement method, non-refundable application fees and performance bond requirements.
He added that despite being privately initiated, unsolicited proposals undergo the same rigorous evaluation and approval procedures as government-sponsored infrastructure projects to ensure transparency and value for money.
The ICRC Director-General also called on development finance institutions and international partners to play a more active role in funding project preparation, noting that many financiers are willing to support completed projects but remain reluctant to invest during the early development stages when projects are being structured.
He argued that addressing the shortage of bankable infrastructure projects requires greater investment in project preparation, adding that unsolicited proposals help bridge this critical gap by shifting the initial development costs and risks to private investors.
Ewalefoh further advocated closer collaboration among ECOWAS member states through the creation of a regional network of national PPP institutions. Such cooperation, he said, would strengthen technical capacity, encourage knowledge sharing and promote harmonised standards for project evaluation and implementation across the sub-region.
He noted that improved regional coordination would enhance the credibility of PPP transactions while supporting better management of cross-border infrastructure projects and privately initiated proposals with regional significance.
The panel session also featured representatives from Ghana, Senegal and Côte d’Ivoire, who shared their respective experiences in leveraging Public-Private Partnerships to attract private investment and accelerate infrastructure delivery.
Participants at the forum agreed that PPPs remain one of the most effective mechanisms for mobilising long-term private capital, narrowing West Africa’s infrastructure deficit and supporting sustainable economic development.
Ewalefoh reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to strengthening its PPP ecosystem through transparent regulation, sound governance and innovative project development frameworks designed to attract credible private investment into strategic infrastructure projects.
With governments across West Africa facing increasing fiscal constraints, rising debt obligations and growing infrastructure demands, experts continue to identify Public-Private Partnerships as a practical approach to financing essential public infrastructure while combining public oversight with private sector efficiency, innovation and investment.
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