Abuja, Nigeria 17 March 2026 (ECA) : The Steering Committee of the Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa (PIDA) convened in Abuja, Nigeria, on 16–17 March 2026, hosted by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). The meeting brought together senior officials from the African Union Commission (AUC), the African Union Development Agency–NEPAD (AUDA-NEPAD), the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), the African Development Bank (AfDB), and Regional Economic Communities (RECs) to advance the continent’s infrastructure development agenda.
The session was opened by Lerato D. Mataboge, Commissioner of Infrastructure and Energy of the African Union Commission, underscoring the strategic importance of coordinated infrastructure investment in realizing Africa’s long-term development goals. Deliberations centred on the midterm review of PIDA PAP 2, preparations for PIDA Week, financing mobilization, implementation instruments, and critical sectoral updates spanning transport, energy, and digital connectivity.
“The Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa remains the continent’s most comprehensive and strategically significant framework for closing the infrastructure gap and realizing the full promise of African integration and prosperity,” said Commissioner Mataboge.
The two-day meeting concluded with a series of agreed actions and institutional commitments designed to sustain and accelerate the PIDA implementation agenda. Delegates reaffirmed the centrality of PIDA as the continent’s primary infrastructure programming framework and endorsed a set of coordinated next steps.
-
Midterm Review Process - Finalization and adoption of the agreed PAP 2 midterm review methodology, with institutional focal points designated to lead data collection and project assessment across all regions by the second quarter of 2026.
-
PIDA Week Readiness - Confirmation of programming structure, project pipeline, and communication strategy for PIDA Week, ensuring the event delivers investment commitments and partnership agreements aligned with the Luanda Summit conclusions.
-
Financing Mobilization - Escalation of efforts to operationalize blended finance structures, de-risking instruments, and project preparation pipelines emerging from the Luanda Infrastructure Financing Summit 2025.
-
Technical Initiative Integration - Stronger integration of ECA’s infrastructure initiatives and related technical tools into PIDA monitoring and reporting systems to improve evidence quality and accountability.
-
REC Coordination Enhancement - Establishment of a more structured operational interface between RECs and PIDA secretariat functions, including joint technical missions, harmonized reporting, and quarterly implementation reviews.
Advancing Africa’s Infrastructure Agenda
The Abuja Steering Committee meeting reaffirmed that PIDA is not merely a technical program — it is a continental commitment to the belief that infrastructure is the foundation upon which Africa’s economic transformation, regional integration, and sustainable development must be built. The active participation of senior leaders from the AUC, AUDA-NEPAD, ECA, AfDB, ECOWAS, and multiple RECs demonstrated the breadth of institutional ownership that underpins PIDA’s legitimacy and operational reach.
As PIDA PAP 2 approaches its midterm inflection point, the collective determination expressed in Abuja provides a strong basis for optimism. The decisions made regarding the review methodology, PIDA Week preparation, financing mobilization, and REC coordination set a clear and actionable course for the months ahead. With sustained political commitment, adequate financing, and strengthened institutional coordination, the infrastructure corridors, energy networks, and digital highways that PIDA envisions are within reach — and with them, the integrated, prosperous Africa that Agenda 2063 demands.
For his par Robert Lisinge, Director, TICID, United Nations Economic Commission for Africat, stressed: “Frontier technologies are not merely tools — they are the force multipliers that will determine whether Africa’s infrastructure ambitions become a living reality or remain aspirations on paper. PIDA PAP 2 is our generational opportunity, and technology is the accelerant that will get us there.”
Issued by:
Communications Section
Economic Commission for Africa
PO Box 3001
Addis Ababa
Ethiopia
Tel: +251 11 551 5826
E-mail: eca-info@un.org