Studies have revealed that the current population of the SADC region, which currently stands at approximately 272 million, will grow at a rate of about 2% per year to reach approximately 350 million by 2027. Already, the region is not coping with the current infrastructure requirements, so innovative approaches are required for the challenges faced ahead. The SADC region is now actively embarking on a programme to deliver these infrastructure requirements by 2027.

This was one of the many key points raised at the SADC Regional Infrastructure Investment Conference (RIIC) held last week in Maputo, Mozambique.

The conference was the culmination of events stemming from a Summit of Heads of State and Government in August 2007, directing the SADC Council of Ministers to oversee the development of a SADC Regional Infrastructure Development Master Plan (RIDMP).

The SADC RIDMP is an integral part of the Programme of Infrastructure Development in Africa (PIDA), aimed at collective implementation at the continental level with leadership provided by the African Union.

The RIDMP and the SADC Infrastructure Vision 2027, aims to scale up implementation of regional infrastructure in the following key areas:

• Energy
• Transport
• Water
• ICT
• Meteorology
• Tourism

The Master Plan will be implemented in three phases:

• Short Term: 2013 – 2017
• Medium Term: 2017 – 2022
• Long Term: 2022 – 2027

A number of priority projects have been identified for the Short Term Action Plan. The amounts needed to be spent on each sector are:

• Energy: US$12.27 billion
• Transport: US$16.28 billion
• Water: US$13.48 billion
• ICT: US$21.4 billion
• Meteorology: US$0.192 billion
• Tourism: US$0.324 billion

The Master Plan was validated by SADC Ministers responsible for infrastructure in June 2012 in Luanda, Angola. It was then recommended by Council for adoption by the SADC Summit of Heads of State and Government at its meeting in Maputo, Mozambique in August 2012.This led to the SADC RIIClast week. The event was hosted by the Government of Mozambique with the coordination of the SADC Secretariat and the support of Trademark Southern Africa. The theme was: Accelerating investment in SADC infrastructure though Sustainable and Innovative Financing.