SADC Regional Infrastructure Investment Conference in Mozambique

The Chairperson of SADC, His Excellency Armando Emilio Guebuza, President of the Republic of Mozambique, shall host the Southern African Development Community (SADC) High Level SADC Regional Infrastructure Investment Conference from 26 – 28 June in Maputo, Mozambique, at Joaquim Chissano International Conference Centre.
The High Level Regional Infrastructure Investment Conference is to be held under the theme: “Accelerating Infrastructure Investment Through Sustainable and Innovative Financing”, and will be officially opened by His Excellency President Guebuza.
The Conference is a major step towards showcasing and implementation of the regional infrastructure projects elaborated by the SADC Regional Infrastructure Development Master Plan (RIDMP) that was adopted by SADC Heads of States and Government at their 32nd SADC Ordinary Summit held in August 2012 in Maputo, Mozambique.
The main focus of the Conference shall be the showcasing of priority infrastructure projects contained in the Short Term Action Plan (STAP), to be implemented in the next five years. The objective of the Conference is to bring to the table, a number of bankable projects for consideration and possible funding. The estimated cost of the projects in the Five-Year Plan is about USD 64 billion, and it is expected that private sector will play its key role by financing some of these key projects.
The SADC Regional Infrastructure Development Master Plan is a 15-year blueprint that will guide the implementation of cross-border infrastructure projects in the areas of six priority sectors – Energy, Transport, ICT, Meteorology, Water and Tourism between 2013 and 2027.
The Master Plan is being implemented over three five-year intervals, with the first interval covering the periods from 2012 to 2017 and initial investment target of around US$64 billion. The second and third intervals will cover the periods from 2017-2022 and 2022-2027 respectively with a total proposed investment of between US$428 billion and $US558 billion.
The Conference will be attended by the SADC Troika Heads of States from Angola, Malawi and Mozambique. It is also expected that President Jacob Zuma of South Africa shall participate in his capacity as champion for the NEPAD Presidential Infrastructure Championship Initiative (PICI). Participation also include Ministers and Senior Officials from Infrastructure and Finance Sectors from SADC Member States, Heads of Continental and Regional Organisations, International Cooperating Partners, Investors, and Business Organisations.
The Conference programme includes a High-Level Round Table and Ministerial and Investors Break-Out Sessions on the 27th of June. The Conference will be preceded on 26th of June by a briefing of Ministers Responsible for Infrastructure on the proceedings of the Infrastructure Investment Conference and it will be followed by a site visit to the Port of Maputo on the 28th of June.