The G20 Infrastructure Partnerships with Africa: Obstacles in the way
This blog describes the infrastructure-related initiatives of the G20 Partnership with Africa, as set forth by the 2017 German G20 Summit. It proposes that (a) the G20 align its initiatives with key African agendas (e.g., the African Union’s Agenda 2063), (b) support the inclusion of civil society in key initiatives, and (c) ensure a fair balance of interests between private investors and citizens. Otherwise, with the megaprojects envisioned, including many Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs), African nations could experience greater debt distress; environmental destruction, and human rights violations.
…
The news emerging from Hamburg were dominated by the narrative of the emerging 19 +1 on issues such as climate change or trade protectionism. Yvanka Trump replacing her father in the US seat was a particularly juicy bit, with few realizing that happened when the leaders were discussing Africa. Street protests and the 9th Beethoven symphony played in the brand-new Elbphilharmonie capped what was after all a fair attempt by Germany and Chancellor Angela Merkel to give direction to a group that has become a target of cynical criticism.
In Tanzania, the national planning horizon coincided with the start of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In order to facilitate the implementation of SDGs in Tanzania, the Economic and Social Research Foundation (ESRF) and the Ministry of Finance coordinated a brainstorming process to discuss requirements for a succesful implementation, like the involvement of local actors, mobilization of funding and investments in capacities for monitoring and evaluation.…