Opinion

African Infrastructure: is China the only player?

Word count: 750

Infrastructure models require a return on investment that is secure and a political environment that is stable. The quality of governance and the legal enforcement of contracts vary widely across African jurisdictions and like all emerging markets, a high level of due diligence has to be carried out. However, with a population of 1.2 billion and increasing levels of education and aspiration, there is a huge demand for improved living standards across Africa. This brings with it the need for reliable power supply, clean water and effective waste water treatment, new roads, railways and ports, as well as telecommunication facilities (to name but a few).