On Monday, November 9, 2015, the African Development Institute (EADI) and AMETrade co-organized a training on project finance for public private partnerships (PPPs) in London, United Kingdom. The training was targeted at government officials, private sector representatives as well as financiers and PPP experts.

Over 75 participants representing government agencies, investment banks participated in the one-day training designed to familiarize them with key concepts to implement and finance PPPs in Africa.

In her introductory remarks, AfDB Private Sector Director Kodeidja Diallo stressed the Bank's ongoing commitment to infrastructure development in Africa, stating that "PPPs are a must; [they are] not an option for us." She also highlighted the Bank's efforts to boost PPP development through its five regional hubs and its plan to do more in PPP development in the coming years as part of the Bank new strategic plan for the development of Africa.

Addressing the participants, Abdul-Karim Bakri, Division Manager of EADI, encouraged the audience to not only approach the session as a training, but also as a platform to share their experience in preparing and implementing bankable and sustainable PPP projects in Africa.

The training was structured around three key themes: Project finance for PPPs and key concepts; Sources of Finance: Managing and Allocating Risks in PPP and making a deal bankable; and Global Trends in Project Finance. "The African Development Bank - Investing in PPPs", a presentation delivered by Raubil Durowoju, Chief Portfolio Officer at AfDB, was another key feature of the training.

The training was part of a three-day Africa Public Private Partnership conference, an international gathering of practitioners and experts focused on promoting infrastructure development and stronger PPP practices and partnerships in Africa.