The Director-General of the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC), Jobson Ewalefoh, has urged governments across West Africa to expand the use of Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs), saying the region’s growing infrastructure needs can no longer be financed through public funds alone.
Speaking during a panel discussion at the ECOWAS Infrastructure Forum in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, Ewalefoh said governments must increasingly collaborate with private investors to deliver roads, rail networks, housing projects, water systems and other critical infrastructure needed to sustain economic development.
According to a statement issued by the Acting Head of Media and Publicity of the ICRC, Ifeanyi Nwoko, the commission’s chief stressed that relying solely on government revenue is no longer sufficient to meet the enormous investment required for infrastructure expansion across the sub-region.
Ewalefoh noted that Africa continues to struggle with one of the world’s largest infrastructure financing deficits, a challenge that has slowed economic growth, industrialisation and regional trade.
He referenced estimates by the African Development Bank Group, which indicate that the continent requires between $130 billion and $170 billion annually to meet its infrastructure demands but currently faces an annual funding shortfall of approximately $68 billion to $108 billion.
The financing gap has contributed to inadequate transportation systems, unstable electricity supply, poor water infrastructure, housing shortages and other developmental challenges affecting many African nations.
The ICRC Director-General explained that Public-Private Partnerships have evolved beyond serving merely as an alternative procurement model. According to him, PPPs have become an essential development strategy that enables governments to leverage private-sector financing, innovation and technical expertise while ensuring that project risks are appropriately allocated.
He said governments would continue to identify priority infrastructure projects through conventional procurement processes but noted that greater opportunities exist to expand project pipelines by encouraging well-regulated unsolicited proposals from private investors.
Ewalefoh explained that unsolicited proposals allow private companies to independently identify viable infrastructure opportunities, finance project preparation and assume the associated development risks before presenting them to government. He described the model as a complementary approach rather than a replacement for traditional procurement.
According to him, transferring early-stage project development responsibilities to the private sector helps governments conserve scarce public resources while accelerating infrastructure delivery. He emphasised that the approach is particularly valuable in situations where governments lack sufficient funding to prepare projects before procurement.
Highlighting Nigeria’s experience, Ewalefoh disclosed that the country has introduced several reforms aimed at improving the integrity and efficiency of its PPP system. These include clearly defined eligibility requirements, structured governance procedures, performance bonds, non-refundable application fees and the adoption of the Swiss Challenge procurement method to ensure fairness and competitiveness.
He added that although unsolicited proposals originate from private investors, they undergo the same rigorous technical, financial and regulatory assessments required for government-initiated projects before approval is granted.
The ICRC boss also challenged international development partners to become more involved in financing project preparation rather than focusing only on completed infrastructure projects.
He observed that while many financiers readily invest in bankable projects, far fewer are willing to support the costly planning and development stages that make such projects investment-ready. According to him, this gap is precisely where unsolicited proposals can make a significant contribution by shifting project preparation responsibilities to capable private investors.
Ewalefoh further advocated stronger collaboration among ECOWAS member states through the establishment of a regional network of national PPP institutions. He said such cooperation would facilitate knowledge sharing, strengthen technical capacity, harmonise project evaluation standards and improve information exchange on cross-border infrastructure initiatives.
Greater regional coordination, he noted, would also enhance investor confidence by promoting consistency in project appraisal and implementation across West Africa. The panel session also featured representatives from Ghana, Senegal and Côte d’Ivoire, who shared their countries’ experiences in using Public-Private Partnerships to attract private investment and improve infrastructure delivery.
Participants at the forum agreed that PPPs remain one of the most effective mechanisms for mobilising long-term private capital, reducing the region’s infrastructure deficit and supporting sustainable economic growth. Ewalefoh reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to strengthening its PPP ecosystem through transparent regulation, sound governance and innovative financing frameworks capable of attracting credible investment into critical infrastructure projects across the country.
