Mobilising Finance for Infrastructure
This synthesis report summarises findings from a research programme on private finance for infrastructure investment. The aim of the programme was to understand the main constraints on the flow of private capital to infrastructure projects in DFID’s focus countries in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), excluding South Africa. Such constraints could result from a lack of availability of either:
- bankable project opportunities, in which projects meet the financing requirements of lenders and investors at different points of the project life cycle; or
- private capital from domestic and international credit and capital markets to finance such projects, linked to issues in these markets rather than the quality of the available projects.
This research focused on two components. The first is articulating and, to the extent possible, quantifying the nature of the problem. The second involves research into potential solutions to developing bankable projects and to improving access to finance (particularly as regards deployment of donor funding interventions). The emphasis is on the provision of a robust evidence base, taking into account limitations in the information available in the public domain, to shed light on both the nature of the problem and the potential solutions.
The ultimate objective of the research is to improve the evidence base for donors, Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs) and partner governments, which will help with planning and programming in the areas of developing and financing infrastructure projects.
