The East Afed Institutrican regional consultationworkshop, shaping the rigorous project selection process for the second phaseof the Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa, also known as PIDAPAP2 (2021-2030), was held for the East African Member States and theirSpecialisions. The three-day workshop, March 11th till March 13th, was launchedby the African Union Commission (AUC) with the purpose of providing the MemberStates and specialised institutions such as EAC and IGAD with the necessaryinformation and tools to prioritize gender inclusive, environmentally friendlyand smart infrastructure projects that will create jobs and economicopportunities for the African people. Task force members nominated from UNECAwere instrumental in providing support and trainings for this workshop and willlater be tasked with the screening and selection of projects for PIDA PAP2along with AUC, AUDA-NEPAD and AfDB.

The AUC, in collaboration with AUDA-NEPAD, AfDB andUNECA, developed the integrated corridor approach framework as strategic basisfor the PIDA Priority Action Plan 2. This approach captures specific goals ofaddressing youth employment and education, strengthening gender inclusivesocioeconomic development, smart innovation and technologies, environmentallysustainable communities and economies, and regional connectivity through worldclass infrastructure as outlined by Agenda 2063 Aspirations 1, 2, and 6. Tothis regard, the PIDA strategic objective contributes to the achievement of theaspiration of Agenda 2063.

Mr Zachariah Kingori Project Coordinator at theIntergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), highlighted that IGAD is atthe final stage of preparation of its infrastructure master plan and was eagerfor its input towards PIDA PAP 2 project selection process.
Eng. Murenzi Daniel, Principal Information Technology Officer at the EastAfrican Community (EAC), emphasised Infrastructure as a core business andactivity of the EAC commission. And highlighted on the need for harmonisedstandards and M&E framework score card as key milestones to be undertakenin the PIDA PAP 2 process.

Mr Robert Lisinge, Chief of Energy, Infrastructureand Service section, at the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa(UNECA) in the opening remarks, emphasized the importance of developing atransparent and inclusive project selection method for member states andreiterated UNECA’s commitment to supporting the AUC throughout the developmentand implementation of the PIDA PAP2.

In his opening remarks, Mr Cheikh Bedda, Director ofInfrastructure and Energy at the African Union Commission, recognised thepresence of the State Minister of Water from the Federal Republic of Ethiopiaand his commitment to the PIDA PAP 2 process. He then underlined the importanceof the training with regard to the roadmap for implementation of the PIDA PAP2.Mr Bedda encouraged the focal persons of the Member states to be proactive inthe project selection process and advised delegates to make use of their timeat the workshop, given the limited time available for the project submission.Furthermore, he emphasized the significance of UNECA as the secretariat to thetask force which has access to the UN system, “The proposed projects will be inline with the AU Agenda 2063 aspirations as well as the Sustainable DevelopmentGoals, UN agenda 2030”.

Given that project identification, consolidation andproject selection processes for regional impact constitute important, yetchallenging responsibilities, the capacity building workshop is designed toprovide administrative support and training to Member States and RECs, whilethe question and answer sessions, interactions and networking opportunitieswill contribute to strategic dimensions of projects. In the end, the projectsselected would reflect the integrated corridor approach with at least oneproject per sector – transport, energy, ICT, and trans-boundary waterresources, per region.

Member States must first identify priority projectsso that ultimately the projects reflect their needs and their needs as the mainstakeholders. The process is designed so that Member States would coordinateand propose their projects to RECs, who are required to validate the projectsas aligned to their Master plans, or the RECs can assume a more active role ofdoing the coordination and submitting the projects on behalf of Member States.

At the end of the project submission window, the final projects will besubmitted to the Task Force members to analyse, evaluate and prioritizeaccording to the eligibility and project selection criteria. While theeligibility criteria focuses on regional integration, the project selectioncriteria concentrates on inclusiveness and sustainability with regard to gendersensitivity, rural connectivity and environmental friendliness. Theprioritization process will lead to a shortlist of high impact projects, whichwill be submitted to the African Heads of State and Government for adoptionduring the AU Summit in January 2021.

Concerns from member states included ownership ofprojects and the need for AfDB and other Development Finance Institutionsproviding financing for projects that may not be attractive to the privatesector. Another important issue discussed was the opportunity to build on thePIDA PAP1 infrastructure assets by including them as PIDA PAP2 projects or byproposing complementary projects.

10 projects are to be selected for each of the fiveregions - Northern Africa, West Africa, Central Africa, East Africa andSouthern Africa regions. In addition to that, one project is reserved for eachof the 6 Islands States, totalling the PIDA PAP2 project count to 56.

Member States in attendance of this East African regional workshop were theFederal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, Republic of Burundi, Republic ofDjibouti, Federal Republic of Somalia, Republic of South Sudan, Republic ofSudan, Republic of Rwanda, United Republic of Tanzania and the Republic ofUganda. The continental and regional organizations were UNECA, EAC, and IGAD.Technical support for PIDA is provided by the EU and GIZ.