The African Development Bank (AfDB) has organised a regional training workshop on Public Private Partnership (PPP) projects in the education and healthcare sectors, taking place from August 31 to September 3, 2016 in Tunis.
The objective of the event is to promote capacity building for key interlocutors in North Africa to strengthen their skills in financing projects on infrastructure and social services. The workshop also seeks to encourage private sector participation in the region's economy.
It is part of the AfDB's effort to support African countries to create a conducive legal and institutional framework for developing PPPs. The PPPs are considered a key delivery channel in the Bank's Ten Year Strategy (2013-2022) and the Bank's High 5s development priorities under President Akinwumi Adesina.
The Bank has already embarked on a number of initiatives to assist regional member countries seeking to introduce and promote PPPs. The PPPs are a result of a growing interest by national authorities to improve the quality of their infrastructure and services through innovations in project financing and structuring.
The workshop will involve representatives of PPP units or public agencies in charge of the PPP framework, and officers from the Ministries of Health, Education and Higher Education, working on the identification, design and structuring of PPP projects in North Africa.
Participants have been selected by the Bank jointly with relevant authorities in the region. The workshop will help them to acquire in-depth knowledge on value for money, risk allocation, financing and performance monitoring in specific domains such as education and healthcare.
Two international experts - one in the educaton sector and another in health - will deliver the training, which is expected to benefit a total of 24 participants from Algeria, Egypt, Mauritania, Morocco and Tunisia.
The Bank has an active portfolio in North Africa accounting for 124 projects and 55 technical assistance operations valued at over US $6 billion. Its interventions are in several key sectors, including energy, transport, agriculture, water and sanitation, education and private sector development.