Investment in ports infrastructure on the rise

Infrastructure investment in ports in the sub-Saharan Africa region is increasing and potential financiers are largely positive about funding future projects in the region, according to Unctad.

“Preliminary results of our 2015 Economic Development in Africa 2015 report – due for release in October this year – show that there has been significant growth in public private partnership agreements in the region for the 2014/2015 period,” said Vincent Valentine, economic affairs officer (transport section) of the trade logistics branch of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development.

Speaking to FTW Online on the sidelines of the Africa Ports & Harbours Show 2015 in Johannesburg earlier this week, Valentine said that sub-Saharan Africa currently had a 9.6% share of total global investment in ports. He added that China was increasingly the largest recipient of that share of investment in the region.