Buoyed by the World Bank report that Nigeria infrastructure challenges will require sustained expenditure of almost $14.2 billion per year over the next decade, and the recent GDP rebasing, Cowrie Partners, in collaboration with the UK Trade and Investment, Voice of Leaders and the Oxford Business Group, is presenting the inaugural Nigeria Infrastructure Building Conference to hold on June 26, in Lagos.
The conference is targeted at creating the forum to address topical issues pertaining to infrastructure building for Nigeria, and will focus also on sustainable sources of infrastructure funding.
Going by the World Bank report, there is therefore a need to mobilise various sources of financing, including the private sector, local banks and international financial institutions with the view of increasing the financing envelope for infrastructure, according to Sola Adeyegbe, Partner, Cowrie Partners, at a media chat in Lagos.
The conference, as an important infrastructure stakeholder engagement event, “will offer participants a thorough update on the latest developments and government policies related to infrastructure building.
Educate prospective investors and financiers about the prospects and the opportunities open to private sector players in the provision and financing of infrastructure projects.
“Showcase in practical terms how private public partnership (PPP) and how other project financing methods can be a sustainable means for financing and management of infrastructure.
“Bring together the public and private sectors to generate ideas that will provide useful inputs to the necessary review of relevant laws, regulations and policies to bring them in line with international best practise leading to the creation of the environment that attracts fresh investments and sustains infrastructure development,” Adeyegbe said.
Adeyegbe said the speakers in the conference, from difference walks of life and from across the nation, will explore the various infrastructural needs in their regions and the opportunities endowed within the regions also, saying this had become necessary because the bold liberalisation measures taken in other sectors had resulted in widespread major private investments in some development of national and sub-national infrastructure backbone.
However, challenges still persist in a number of areas, such as the water and sanitation sector lacking development, the relatively poor condition Nigerians road networks and the need to support the country’s aviation industry and the transport sector in general, hence a conference to save as a bridge between infrastructure investors, to bring about public and private partnership, he said.
Folake Awoyemi, an associate, Cowrie Partners, said topical issues would be delivered by top public officials, select local and foreign experts and business leaders such as Bart Nnaji, chairman/CEO, Geometric Power (power); Patricia Simon-Hart, commissioner, Ministry of Water Resources and Rural Development, Rivers State (water); Wale Goodluck, corporate service executive, MTN Nigeria (telecoms); Hassan Bello, CEO, Nigerian Shippers’ Council (sea transport); Timothy Zalanga, director, corporate planning, Nigeria Railway Corporation (rail transport); Hakeem Ogunniran, managing director, UACN Property Development Company (housing), etc.
Other speakers/topics include ‘how to raise funds for infrastructure projects from development financial institutions,’ by Andrew Alli, CEO, Africa Finance Corporation, and ‘project finance as a viable option for financing infrastructure projects, by Michael Larbie, CEO/regional head, West Africa, Rand Merchant Bank Nigeria Limited.
Cowrie Partners is a firm of commercial lawyers focused on responsible and ethical finance and investments.
Osa Victor Obayagbona
