An Expert Group Meeting (EGM) to review the study on “Enhancing Policy, Legal & Regulatory Environment for Infrastructure Financing in Africa” is set to take place on July 21-22 in Lagos, Nigeria. The meeting in addition to reviewing the study, will provide some of the tools to implement the Dakar Agenda for Action which is the outcome of the Dakar Financing Summit.

            In 2012, the NEPAD Heads of State and Government Orientation Committee (HSGOC) mandated the ECA and NEPAD to undertake a study on how African countries could effectively mobilize domestic resources to own and finance the continent’s development. The Domestic Resource Mobilization (DRM) study which was endorsed by the 2014 AU Summit, confirmed that Africa has the necessary domestic resources to fund its own development effectively and it identified nine instruments. However, in order to effectively finance regional projects, it was also found that African countries need to address certain policy, legal, and regulatory issues which impede positive action and constrain interest.

To address these issues, ECA commissioned a technical study on “Enhancing the Policy, Legal & Regulatory Environment for Regional Infrastructure Financing in Africa” that presents an overview of existing policy, legal and regulatory frameworks while also examining the applicable regimes in Africa against the backdrop of the objective of integrated regional infrastructure development. It also examines several trends and opportunities for investment and private sector participation in these regional infrastructure projects, while highlighting existing collaborative efforts.

About Twenty experts drawn from various backgrounds, including banking/financing, business, law/compliance, etc are expected to attend the meeting.