Communication from the Commission to the Council and the European Parliament -  Interconnecting Africa : the EU-Africa Partnership on Infrastructure {SEC(2006) 896} {SEC(2006) 983}
Date: 2006-07-13
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: Africa, European Union, cooperation policy, development aid, energy transport, governance, information technology, provision of services, transport infrastructure, water supply

COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES 

Brussels, 13.07.2006 
COM(2006) 376 final 

COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE COUNCIL AND THE 
EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT 

Interconnecting Africa: the EU-Africa Partnership on Infrastructure 

{SEC(2006) 896} 
{SEC(2006) 983} 

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TABLE OF CONTENTS 

1. 

1.1. 

1.2. 

1.3. 

1.4. 

2. 

2.1. 

2.2. 

2.3. 

3. 

3.1. 

3.2. 

3.3. 

4. 

4.1. 

4.2. 

4.3. 

4.4. 

4.5. 

Meeting the challenges of infrastructure for accelerating Africa’s development ........ 3 

The development challenges ........................................................................................ 3 

Africa’s ongoing struggle............................................................................................. 4 

Africa needs to invest more in infrastructure............................................................... 5 

Increasing investment demands better systems and institutions to sustain them......... 5 

Africa’s continental and regional vision ...................................................................... 6 

African Union – a privileged partner ........................................................................... 6 

NEPAD – Infrastructure Short-Term Action Plan (i-STAP) ....................................... 6 

Achieving NEPAD’s infrastructure goals means doing things differently.................. 6 

The European Union initiative: the EU-Africa Partnership on Infrastructure ............. 7 

Objectives..................................................................................................................... 7 

Scope ............................................................................................................................ 7 

Europe brings expertise and experience from its trans-European networks ................ 8 

The Partnership in practice........................................................................................... 8 

Institutional operations................................................................................................. 8 

Implementation instruments......................................................................................... 9 

The operations............................................................................................................ 11 

Coordination with EU Member States, other international bodies and initiatives..... 12 

A strategy for a sustainable Partnership..................................................................... 12 

ANNEX.................................................................................................................................... 13 

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COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE COUNCIL AND THE 
EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT 

Interconnecting Africa: the EU-Africa Partnership on Infrastructure 

When setting out its strategy for Africa the European Council concluded that rapid, sustained 
and  broad-based  growth  is  essential  for  development  and  for  fighting  poverty1.  One  of  the 
main measures underpinning the Council’s strategy is creation of the EU-Africa Partnership 
on Infrastructure. The Partnership, a joint EU effort, responds to the development goals of the 
African  Union  and  its  New  Partnership  for  Africa’s  Development  (NEPAD).  It  aims  to 
substantially  increase  EU  investment  in  African  infrastructure  and  delivery  of  transport, 
energy,  water  and  ICT  services.  Improving  infrastructure,  the  related  services  and  the 
regulatory  framework  will  contribute  to  sustainable  economic  growth,  promote  competitive 
trade,  create  employment  and  decent  work,  foster  regional  integration  and  reduce  poverty. 
Achieving  these  objectives  depends  also  on  sustained  efforts  for  improving  peace  and 
security, and governance in Africa. 

1. 

MEETING  THE  CHALLENGES  OF  INFRASTRUCTURE  FOR  ACCELERATING  AFRICA’S 
DEVELOPMENT 

European  and  African  research  shows  that  tackling  the  challenges  of  infrastructure  and  the 
related  services  can  effectively  contribute  to  attaining  and  sustaining  the  7%  growth  rates 
necessary for achieving the MDGs2. The Partnership is designed to meet these challenges. 

1.1. 

The development challenges  

Stimulating sustainable economic growth: getting Africa to invest in Africa and attracting 
foreign  direct  investment  depends  largely  on  reliable  infrastructure  and  the  services  it 
delivers. This calls for a stable, secure and well governed economic environment. According 
to some estimates, a one percent increase in the infrastructure stock could add one percent to 
GDP growth3. 

Promoting  competitive  trade:  Africa  needs  an  efficient  transport  and  communications 
system  to  get  its  goods  to  national,  regional  and  international  markets.  Moving  goods  in 
Africa  is  more  difficult  and  costs  almost  twice  as  much  as  in  other  developing  regions, 
especially so in landlocked countries. Improvements in policy and regulatory reform in trade, 
transport  and  ICT,  capacity  building  and  physical  infrastructure  have  the  potential  to 
significantly reduce transport costs and increase transport. 

Fostering  regional  integration:  Africa  needs  to  expand  its  trade.  This  demands  a 
commitment  to  integration  within  coherent  regional  trade  agreements  and  harmonisation  of 

1 

2 

3 

European  Council:  The  EU  and  Africa:  Towards  a  Strategic  Partnership  –  15961/05  (Press  367)  of 
19.12.2005 
DAC  Network  on  Poverty  Reduction:  Guiding  principles  on  using  infrastructure  to  reduce  poverty, 
December 2005 
Can Africa Claim the 21st Century, World Bank, April 2000 

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infrastructure  policies  and  regulatory  frameworks.  Good  communication  and  use  of  e-
technologies can accelerate the process.  

Contributing  effectively  to  the  MDGs:  today  over  300  million  people  –  some  42%  of 
Africa’s population - still have no access to safe water. Similarly access to basic sanitation is 
denied  to  60%  of  the  population.  Less  than  20%  of  Africa’s  population  has  access  to 
electricity, and power rationing and cuts are part of the daily routine. This inhibits job creation 
and industrial investment and impedes production of competitive goods and services. Access 
to affordable water and modern energy services, sanitation and improved hygiene are essential 
to achieve all the MDGs. 

1.2. 

Africa’s ongoing struggle 

During  the  1990s  many  African  countries  adopted  new  infrastructure  policies,  leading  to 
major  institutional  and  financial  reforms  to  deliver  sustainable  infrastructure.  Although 
progress  has  been  made,  much  more  has  to  be  done,  including  improving  governance  and 
regional integration.  

Transport systems, although weak, are slowly improving: road transport accounts for 90% 
of interurban transport but physical links and services are inadequate. Rail network coverage 
is  sparse  and  interconnectivity  of  networks  is  low.  Many  seaports  struggle  to  offer 
competitive services and inland waterways are poorly integrated into transport networks. Air 
transport  has  not  fully  benefited  from  the  adoption  of  the  Yamoussoukro  Decision  in  1999. 
Road  conditions  are  improving  where  the  practices  advocated  by  the  Sub-Saharan  African 
Transport  Policy  Programme  (SSATP)  are  being  implemented.  Railway  and  port  efficiency 
are showing  improvement where provision of  services is concessioned to the private sector. 
Yet transport costs remain high, much higher than in other developing regions, averaging 14% 
of the value of all exports compared with 8.6% for all developing countries, and higher still 
for many landlocked countries – Malawi (56%), Chad (52%) and Rwanda (48%)4. 

Energy  potential  in  abundance  but  inefficiently  used:  most  fossil  fuel  is  exported. 
Renewable resources are barely used or used on a sustainable basis and only 7% of Africa’s 
hydropower  potential  is  converted  into  electricity.  Energy  pooling  and  interconnectivity  are 
addressing the problem of unreliable and costly services. Increased national and cross-border 
energy cooperation and trade is essential for improving reliability, affordability and access. 

Water  resources  are  unevenly  distributed  and  erratic  rainfall  exacerbates  equitable 
access: many African countries suffer large seasonal rainfall fluctuations and periodic cycles 
of  drought  and  flood  constraining  food  production,  ecosystem  protection  and  economic 
development,  particularly  among 
joint 
management  for  conservation  and  equitable  resource-sharing  –  a  priority  of  the  African 
Ministerial  Council  on  Water  in  its  efforts  to  deliver  the  African  Water  Vision  for  2025. 
Improving the affordability of and access to water services at country level needs a stable and 
secure financial and governance environment. 

the  poor.  Transboundary  river  basins  need 

Africa’s communication technology is catching up rapidly although access to services is 
patchy:  fixed  line  telephone  connectivity,  the  lowest  world-wide,  is  steadily  increasing  but 

4 

Assessing Regional Integration in Africa, Economic Commission for Africa, 2004 

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was overtaken by the dramatic growth in mobile telephone services5. Rural access still lags far 
behind urban access. The digital divide, the widest word-wide, is slowly narrowing as RECs 
and countries harmonise policies and communication regulations, but insufficient regulatory 
reform could make African telecommunications services the most expensive in the world. 

1.3. 

Africa needs to invest more in infrastructure 

African  governments  and  development  partners  sharply  reduced  the  share  of  resources 
allocated to infrastructure during the 1990s. Government expenditure has fallen far below the 
4%  of  GDP  necessary  to  maintain  and  operate  its  infrastructure,  let  alone  the  additional 
investment, 5% of GDP, needed to develop it. This means Africa needs an additional US$ 20 
billion a year to sustain a growth of 7%. 

EU  Member  States’  support  for  economic  infrastructure  and  services  has  declined  over  the 
last decade, mainly in transport and partly in energy. As a share of total ODA, commitments 
dropped from 19% over the period 1985-94 to 11% in 1995-20046. Over the past decade the 
EC has maintained the level of financial support to transport in Sub Saharan Africa. Currently 
it  stands  at  €2 500  million  under  the  9th  EDF.  After  the  World  Summit  on  Sustainable 
Development  in  2002,  water  funding  rose  from  €475  million  to  €975  million  and  energy 
funding  to  €230  million  as  a  result  of  the  Water  and  Energy  Facilities.  EC  (EDF)  aid 
allocation to infrastructure in Sub Saharan Africa adds up to €3 750 million, 25% of the 9th 
EDF.  EC  budget  aid  to  infrastructure  for  North  Africa  adds  up  to  €382.9  million  over  the 
period 2003-2005 (see table in annex).  

Future allocations to both sub-regions of Africa from the EDF and EU budget will be subject 
to programming at a later stage within their respective financial frameworks. 

1.4. 

Increasing investment demands better systems and institutions to sustain them  

1.4.1.  Lessons from experience 

Recent evaluations in the sectors covered by this Communication indicate that the EC’s policy 
and  strategy  played  an  important  role  towards  improving  maintenance,  which  has  been  an 
essential  component  of  the  EC’s  sectoral  approach.  Yet,  more  needs  to  be  done  to  secure 
sustainability. Improving the primary road network and maritime ports had a positive impact 
on trade development and on regional economic integration. Increasing access to basic water 
and sanitation has improved people’s livelihoods. All lessons learnt confirm the EC’s policy 
on  a  sector-wide  approach.  This  is  where  the  Commission’s  coordination  with  African 
governments  and  other  donors  has  led  to  significant  progress,  which  will  continue.  An 
evaluation on energy is underway. 

1.4.2  Looking ahead 

African economies will only benefit if the services delivered by improved infrastructure can 
be  sustained.  Many  African  countries  are  tackling  the  issues  of  sustainability  –  macro-
economic  affordability,  secure  and  sufficient  finance  for  maintenance,  “commercially” 
managed  institutions  and  entities  staffed  by  skilled  and  sufficient  personnel,  reliable  data 

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COM(2006)  181  Towards  a  Global  Partnership  in  the  Information  Society:  Follow-up  to  the  Tunis 
Phase of the World Summit on the Information Society” 
Donor Atlas 2006, European Commission-OECD 

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backed by research, better customs and trade facilitation, mitigation of environmental impact 
and enforcement of regulatory frameworks. There is still much to be done. 

Creating sound institutional and financial frameworks takes a long time. Few countries have 
infrastructure sectors that are sufficiently robust to survive without external support. Regional 
sustainability is impossible without strong country frameworks. These are essential if African 
economies  are  to  reap  the  benefit  of  rigorous  implementation  of  regional  protocols  and 
agreements on transport, energy, water and ICT.  

2. 

AFRICA’S CONTINENTAL AND REGIONAL VISION 

The  Heads  of  State  of  the  African  Union  (AU)  have  identified  peace,  security  and  good 
governance  as  essential  if  development  is  to  succeed.  If  Africa  is  to  make  real  progress 
towards achieving the MDGs a continental vision is necessary. The creation of NEPAD has 
come at a critical time in Africa’s development. 

2.1. 

African Union – a privileged partner 

The  rapidly  developing  AU  is  a  privileged  partner  for  the  EU.  With  its  continent-wide 
political  mandate,  the  AU  facilitates  dialogue  with  and  between  RECs,  an  increasingly 
important factor for interconnecting Africa. The AU ensures African ownership, steers overall 
policy and ensures the continental integrity of the Partnership. 

2.2. 

NEPAD – Infrastructure Short-Term Action Plan (i-STAP)  

In  May  2002  the  AU  published  NEPAD  i-STAP  which  advocates  that  bridging  the 
infrastructure gap is the key to interconnectivity, regional integration and economic growth. i-
STAP  sets  objectives  for  infrastructure  sectors  linked  to  the  overarching  goal  of  poverty 
reduction.  It  addresses  the  sectoral  challenges  and  identifies  responses  in  four  areas:  (i) 
facilitation – policy and regulatory frameworks, (ii) capacity building, (iii) capital investment 
and  (iv)  studies  for  new  projects.  i-STAP  has  stimulated  extensive  AU-NEPAD/donor 
dialogue  and  donors,  including  the  EC  and  EU  Member  States,  have  been  involved  in 
updating  it.  It  brings  new  vigour,  speeding  up  implementation  of  tested  policies  and  good 
practice. 

2.3. 

Achieving NEPAD’s infrastructure goals means doing things differently 

Firstly, it means much more money for infrastructure to contribute effectively to sustainable 
economic growth. Between 2005 and 2015 Sub Saharan Africa needs to spend approximately 
5% of its GDP on infrastructure investment and a further 4% on operations and maintenance - 
additional  expenditure  of  US$ 20  billion  per  year.  Secondly,  it  calls  for  renewed  African 
ownership  and  leadership  in  the  process  of  setting  priorities,  making  progress  on  regional 
integration,  sound  institutional  and  economic  governance  and  transparent  procurement. 
Thirdly, donors must develop delivery mechanisms that leverage public and private sources of 
finance.  Fourthly,  all  parties  must  live  up  to  their  commitments  in  the  Paris  Declaration7. 
Fifthly,  stronger  involvement  by  the  private  sector  is  necessary  (the  EC  is  organising  a 
Business Forum in November 2006). The Partnership is designed to achieve these goals. 

7 

Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness, February 2005 

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3. 

THE  EUROPEAN  UNION 
INFRASTRUCTURE 

INITIATIVE:  THE  EU-AFRICA  PARTNERSHIP  ON 

The  Partnership,  based  on  the  EU  Strategy  for  Africa,  is  the  EU’s  response  to  Africa’s 
NEPAD  Infrastructure  Action  Plan.  It  provides  a  framework  for  enhancing  coherence 
between  the  action  taken  by  the  EC  and  EU  Member  States  and  for  channelling,  in  a 
coordinated way, their efforts to scale up aid to Africa. 

3.1. 

Objectives 

The  Partnership  aims  to  support  programmes  that  facilitate  interconnectivity  at  continental 
and  regional  level.  The  Partnership  operations  will  also  supplement  the  EU’s  sectoral 
approach  to  infrastructure  at  country  level  (box  1)  and  help  to  implement  the  Economic 
Partnership Agreements (EPAs). These approaches will ensure that investments at continental 
and regional level are coherent with national poverty reduction and infrastructure strategies. 
Such  complementarity  will  increase  the  sustainability  of  operations  at  regional  and  country 
levels. The annex provides brief sector reviews and maps showing the trans-African transport 
corridors  and  electricity  interconnections,  river basins  and  ICT  networks  that  will  shape  the 
Partnership operations. 

3.2. 

Scope 

The main focus of the Partnership is the infrastructure that secures interconnectivity across the 
continent  and  its  different  regions.  It  will  encompass  trans-boundary,  regional  and  national 
infrastructure  in  the  widest  sense:  transport  networks,  water  and  energy  infrastructure  and 
connections as well as ICT networks. 

The  Partnership  will  also  tackle  service  delivery  issues  that  are  essential  for  removing 
obstacles  to  intra-  and  inter-regional  trade,  thereby  seizing  the  opportunities  created  by 
liberalisation  of  services  and  customs  reforms.  Partnership  programmes  will  be  a  mix  of 
physical  infrastructure  investment,  institutional  development  and  capacity  building,  plus 
support  for  the  policy,  facilitation  and  regulatory  frameworks  essential  for  efficient 
infrastructure operation and service delivery. EU and international guidelines will be followed 
for carrying out in-depth social and environmental impact assessments. Best practice will be 
used  to  mitigate  potentially  negative  environmental  and  social  impacts  and  to  promote  and 
reinforce positive impacts. 

Box 1: Infrastructure - sectoral objectives 

Transport  –  reduce  the  cost  and  improve  the  quality  of  services,  by  removing  infrastructure 
barriers  and  non-physical  barriers  to  free  movement  of  goods  and  people,  strengthening  customs 
operations, improving maintenance of transport assets, etc. with the following themes: trade corridors 
without borders and barriers; better and safer roads; competitive rail services; efficient ports including 
modern fisheries infrastructure and services meeting appropriate sanitary requirements, and safe seas 
and ports; and safe, secure and efficient skies and airports.  

Water and sanitation – sustainable use of available finite water resources to meet the population’s 
basic  water  and  sanitation  needs  and  improve  integrated  water  resources  management  at  local,  river 
basin/catchments, national and transboundary levels. 

Energy – fully develop access to sustainable and affordable energy services for economic and social 
sectors, improve policy frameworks and institutional capacity, and facilitate investments essential for 

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generation, cross-border interconnections, grid extension and rural distribution. 

Information  and  Communication  Technologies  –  bridging  the  digital  divide  by  providing 
adequate  access  to  affordable  ICTs  through  support  for  regulatory  reform  and  capacity-building  and 
developing  pan-African  broadband  infrastructure  and  non-commercial  e-services  linked  to  regional 
and national networks. 

3.3. 

Europe brings expertise and experience from its trans-European networks  

The EU has extensive expertise to share with Africa from its experience of the trans-European 
networks (TENs) for transport, energy and telecommunications. This is leading to large-scale 
regional and interconnectivity infrastructure that complements country sectoral objectives for 
achieving economic growth and integration. The EU has developed principles (see annex) that 
(i)  deliver  a  rigorous  and  clear  methodology  for  identifying  major  trans-national  axes  and 
priority  projects  and  (ii)  build  consensus  between  countries  and  stakeholders  on  the 
harmonisation of regulatory frameworks. Such knowledge will enrich the AU-EU dialogue. 

4. 

THE PARTNERSHIP IN PRACTICE 

The  Partnership  draws  together  a  wide  range  of  institutions  and  stakeholders  and  demands 
efficient  interaction  at  continental,  regional  and  country  level.  The  RECs  have  their  own 
constituencies  that  are  geographically  widely  scattered  and  comprise  countries  at  different 
levels of development. Some countries are members of two and, in a few cases, three different 
RECs. This multiple membership adds to the complexity of the Partnership operations. 

4.1. 

Institutional operations 

As  the  Partnership  operates  at  three  levels  –  continental,  regional  and  national  –  the 
subsidiarity  rule  should  apply  within  an  overall  framework  that  provides  the  minimum 
coordination required for efficient and effective operations. 

4.1.1.  Continental level 

AU-NEPAD  periodically  reviews  and  updates  i-STAP  and  coordinates  identification  of  the 
continental and regional priorities of the Partnership. These priorities will take account of the 
RECs’  programmes  and  country  operations  that  support  the  Partnership  as  well  as  any 
adaptation  of  the  EU-TEN  principles.  AU-NEPAD  and  the  EC  (headquarters  and  the  EU 
Delegation in Ethiopia) will share information and findings with EU Member States and the 
Infrastructure Consortium for Africa. 

4.1.2  Regional level 

Regional  cooperation  between  the  EC  and  the  RECs  is  well-established  under  the  Cotonou 
Partnership Agreement. It includes the creation of EPAs aimed at building regional markets 
and  facilitating  trade  between  and  within  regions  plus  external  trade  with  partners  beyond 
Africa.  To  ensure  that  the  Partnership  and  Regional  Strategies  are  both  coherent  and 
complementary,  the  Regional  Indicative  Programmes  (RIPs)  should  envisage  support  for 
policy and regulatory frameworks that increase the sustainability of physical investments by 
the  Partnership.  AU-NEPAD  and  the  EC  (headquarters  and  the  EU’s  regional  Delegations) 
will monitor investments that strengthen regional networks and systems. 

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Regional  cooperation  between  the  EU  (including  outermost  regions,  especially  Canary  and 
Reunion Islands, Madeira), North African countries and their Mediterranean neighbours takes 
place  under  several  cooperation  frameworks.  These  include  the  Euro-Mediterranean 
Partnership,  the  European  Neighbourhood  Policy  its  Action  Plans,  Horizon  2020  Initiative 
and the Mediterranean component of the EU Water Initiative. Access to funding under these 
frameworks, within their relevant geographic limits, can support the Partnership interventions. 

4.1.3.  Country level 

Development  cooperation  at  country  level  underpins  the  success  and  sustainability  of  the 
Partnership  at  regional  and  continental  levels.  Cooperation  between  the  EC  and  individual 
SSA  countries  is  well-established  under  “Cotonou”.  Similarly,  the  EC’s  Neighbourhood 
Policy and associated agreements govern cooperation with North African countries. The EC 
and  the  EU  Member  States  have  agreed  to  move  towards  joint  multi-annual  programmes 
based on partner country development strategies8. The process includes consultation with the 
private sector and civil society, which could provide opportunities for private-sector financing 
in  the  Partnership.  Thus  the  National  Indicative  Programme  (NIP)  financed  by  EDF  or  EU 
budgetary resources is set within a common country strategy. 

To ensure that the Partnership and country strategies are both coherent and  complementary, 
country programmes should include support for sector policies and measures that increase the 
sustainability of the Partnership operations. AU-NEPAD will work closely with the EU and 
its  country  Delegations  in  monitoring  country  action  that  directly  contributes  to  the 
Partnership’s objectives. 

4.2. 

Implementation instruments 

The EU Member States have committed themselves to raise their ODA to 0.56% of GNI by 
2010, with half of the additional €20 billion a year going to Africa. Member States have also 
committed themselves to improve aid effectiveness – ownership, harmonisation, alignment on 
country  systems  and  results  orientation.  Delivering  on  these  commitments  demands  a 
coherent, coordinated and collective EU effort. By developing a global vision the Partnership 
provides  a  framework  to  increase  aid  to  infrastructure  and  to  deliver  results  effectively. 
Several ways for the EU to work together are described below. 

4.2.1.  EDF programmable resources 

Regional  and  national  resources:  if  the  current  level  of  financing  under  the  9th  EDF  is 
maintained in the 10th EDF allocations to infrastructure could increase from €3 750 million to 
approximately €5 600 million, a substantial proportion of which will finance the Partnership 
operations. 

Intra-ACP  resources:  in  addition  to  the  financing  mobilised  from  the  Water  and  Energy 
Facilities  in  support  of  the  Partnership,  an  allocation  of  approximately  €600  million,  which 
will be channelled as follows: 

8 

Council conclusions on Financing for Development and Aid Effectiveness; delivering more, better and 
faster – GAERC – 11 April 2006, Luxembourg 

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•  a  substantial  part  to  the  Trust  Fund  for  capital  investment  projects  proposed  by  project 
promoters  for  financing  by  means  of  a  mix  of  grants  and  loans.  These  grants  will  be 
allocated in accordance with the Trust Fund modalities, 

•  part  for  grant-to-grant  financing  for  (i)  capacity-building  and  support  for  regional 
initiatives  and  facilitation  programmes  and  (ii)  support  for  sections  of  the  African 
networks,  particularly  for  roads  and  water,  which,  by  nature,  are  not  suitable  for  loan 
financing, 

•  start-up  grant  support  for  those  networks  and  the  related  services  or  parts  thereof  that 

qualify as trans-African to leverage additional financing from other parties. 

4.2.2.  The EU Infrastructure Trust Fund for Africa 

The Trust Fund is a collective EU response and an innovative way to co-finance (see Impact 
Assessment)  along  with  the  EIB  and  European  and  African  development  financing 
institutions (DFIs). The grant income of the Trust Fund will be provided by the EC and any 
EU Member State willing to contribute. Trust Fund grants are envisaged to cover (i) interest-
rate subsidies, (ii) co-financing with the EIB, DFIs and AfDB, (iii) risk guarantee mechanisms 
not  already  covered  by  existing  instruments  and  (iv)  grants  for  project  preparation  and 
capacity-building.  Thus  EU  grants  will  attract  and  leverage  additional  ODA  loans  and  non-
ODA finance.  

The  principles  of  ownership  and  management  of  the  Trust  Fund  are  built  upon  a  “light” 
structure: 

•  a  Steering  Committee  consisting  of  AU-NEPAD,  the  European  Commission,  the  EIB, 
donors  and  African  actors  to  secure  African  ownership,  provide  overall  policy  guidance 
and set priorities, 

•  an  Executive  Management  Committee  of  “contributing  donors”  to  appraise  and  approve 

projects,  

•  a Partnership secretariat, headed by the Trust Fund Manager, to support the Steering and 

Executive Committees. 

The  modalities  governing  operation  of  the  Trust  Fund  will  be  agreed  by  the  founding 
members. The EIB will be responsible for administering the revenue and expenditure of the 
Trust Fund. 

The  Trust  Fund  will  receive  €60  million  from  intra-ACP  resources  and  the  EIB  is  planning 
loans of between €220 and €260 million for the period 2006-07. 

4.2.3.  Reinforced coordination and co-financing 

The  abovementioned  EC-driven  financing  instruments  alone  will  not  be  sufficient.  They 
should be supplemented by other ways of working together, by stepping up the pace towards 
closer  coordination  and  expanding  joint  co-financing,  pool  funding  and  parallel  financing 
opportunities.  

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4.3. 

The operations 

In  line  with  the  AU-NEPAD  i-STAP,  the  Partnership  operations  will  fall  into  two  broad 
categories:  (i)  facilitation  and  studies  -  the  software  and  (ii)  physical  investment  -  the 
hardware 

4.3.1.  At continental and regional level 

The Partnership will support: 

•  planning  and  prioritisation  of  infrastructure  investments  that  establish  regional  and 
continental  master  plans  for  transport,  energy  and  ICT  networks  and  river  basin 
organisations, 

•  infrastructure  activities  that  reap  the  benefits  from  trading  opportunities  opened  up  by 
EPAs,  build  on  EPA  implementation  and  exploit  the  opportunities  from  liberalisation  of 
services and customs reform, 

•  capacity  building  in  continental  and  regional  African  institutions  and  research  bodies 
(complementing support provided by the RIPs and the 7th RTD Framework Programme) - 
AU, AMCOW, Ministerial bodies on energy, SSATP, regional and continental regulatory 
authorities, civil aviation authorities, regional power pools, etc.,  

•  harmonisation  and  implementation  of  international  and  regional  agreements,  regulations 

and standards for all modes of transport, energy, water and ICT, 

•  regional  regulatory  reform  to  encourage  private  investment  from  domestic  and  foreign 

resources for the efficient provision of infrastructure and services, 

•  measures for improving air (e.g. by supporting COSCAP projects) and maritime safety and 
security  and  environmental  protection  and  extension  of  European  satellite  navigation 
services  (GALILEO)  and  of  the  EU  Air  traffic  management  modernisation  programme 
(SESAR) and the Single European Sky initiative, 

•  free,  safe  and  secure  movement  of  transit  traffic  along  Africa’s  corridors  and  across 

borders,  

•  preparatory  activities  for  essential  investment  and  finance  studies  for  regional  and 

continental Partnership projects, 

•  provision  of  missing  links  and  cross-border  infrastructure  in  trans-African  transport, 

energy and ICT corridors and networks (based on open-access principles), 

•  sustainable and equitable management of water basin and transboundary resources. 

4.3.2.  At country level 

The Partnership will: 

•  increase  the  efficiency  of  national  legislative  and  regulatory  frameworks  and  support  the 
integration  and  implementation  of  international  and  regional  agreements  into  these 
frameworks, 

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•  finance studies on, and investments in, transport (including measures to reach international 
safety and security standards) energy and ICT projects of national relevance that form part 
of the trans-African corridors and networks,  

•  ensure  that  the  sustainability  of  the  trans-African  corridors  and  networks  is  taken  into 

account in the country programmes, 

•  capitalise  on  links  with  the  EU  Energy  Initiative  to  facilitate  access  to  modern  and 
affordable  energy  services  by  more  efficient  use  of  resources,  grid  extensions  and  wider 
use of renewables, as well as links with the Renewable Energy and Efficiency Partnership 
and the Johannesburg Renewable Energy Coalition, 

•  capitalise  on  links  with  the  EU  Water  Initiative  to  secure  access  to  water  supply  and 
sanitation  within  a  framework  of  sustainable  and  integrated  management  of  water 
resources. 

4.4. 

Coordination with EU Member States, other international bodies and initiatives 

The success of the Partnership demands effective coordination, led by AU-NEPAD, between 
the EC and EU Member States and all other players. 

4.4.1.  Coordination with EU Member States 

The  EC  will  lead  coordination  of  EU  support  based  on  the  well-established  coordination 
groups  that  exist  at  sectoral  level  and  existing  coordination  mechanisms  at  country  and 
regional levels. 

4.4.2.  Coordination with other international initiatives and bodies 

Coordination  between  the  EU,  the  EIB,  and  the  World  Bank,  the  leaders  in  financing 
infrastructure, is well-developed; good progress is being made with the AfDB. Likewise, the 
EC  will  continue  its  cooperation  with  the  International  Civil  Aviation  Organisation  (ICAO) 
and the International Telecommunications Union (ITU). 

Coordination with the Infrastructure Consortium for Africa, an advocacy forum that does not 
finance infrastructure but seeks to scale up investment in infrastructure, is facilitated by EU 
membership. The EC brings to the Consortium a strong EU voice and a common vision and 
strategy. 

4.5. 

A strategy for a sustainable Partnership 

EC experience and the lessons learnt from evaluations emphasise that beneficiary ownership 
and  sector  sustainability  remain  the  keys  to  sustainable  infrastructure.  Without  timely  and 
adequate  maintenance  of  infrastructure  networks  the  services  that  users  and  beneficiaries 
demand will not be sustainably delivered. The Partnership will: 

•  seek  government  commitment  at  political  level  to  implement  good  governance  in  all 

infrastructure sectors, 

•  support sector-wide approaches at country level that integrate infrastructure and the related 

services,  

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•  build coherence between country, regional and continental activities within the Partnership, 

•  promote  private  sector  participation,  where  appropriate, 

through  private-public 

partnerships, 

•  support infrastructure that is safe, appropriate, responds to the needs of men and women, 

and respects the outcomes of social and environmental impact assessments. 

In developing the Partnership, the EC proposes to facilitate a series of events with the African 
Union,  RECs,  EU  Member  States  and  international  development  partners  to  put  the 
Partnership into operation. These will include: 

•  a high-level continental meeting in Africa to launch the Partnership, 

•  a series of high-level and sectoral meetings at regional level to help to identify Partnership 

operations.  

In  general,  the  Commission  will  continue  its  dialogue  with  African  partners  and  European 
stakeholders  at  all  levels  in  formulating  Partnership  priorities,  its  operations  and  their 
implementation. 

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ANNEX 

Sectoral overview, methodology and maps of the trans-African transport corridors, the 
continental electricity interconnections and river basins and ICT networks 

This annex gives a brief overview  of each sector  -  transport,  energy, water and ICT. It also 
outlines  the  basis  for  a  dialogue  between  the  EU  and  the  AU  for  moving  the  Partnership 
forward and delivering what Africa expects from its infrastructure and services. To facilitate 
the  dialogue  between  stakeholders,  maps  of  continental  and  regional  transport,  energy  and 
ICT networks and of river basins are included. The maps are based on AU-NEPAD strategies 
and reflect the current progress on the dialogue; they should be regarded as indicative.  

A methodology for prioritising EU operations 

To guide the decision-making process on setting priorities for EU operations within the EU-
Africa Partnership, a two-stage process is summarised below. The process is adapted from the 
methodology used for extending the trans-European networks. It will be further developed in 
the course of the ongoing EU-AU dialogue to reflect the AU-NEPAD criteria and will be used 
as a framework for reaching a consensus between stakeholders. 

The  first  stage  is  to  identify  the  major  trans-African  corridors  and  networks  connecting 
countries, which are most relevant to international exchanges and traffic and to strengthening 
regional  integration  and  continental  cohesion.  Various  criteria  will  be  jointly  agreed  under 
two main categories – institutional and functional.  

The second stage is to prioritise projects on the selected trans-African corridors and networks. 
This process will cover a full project appraisal, which will include, inter alia: 

•  a firm commitment by the region, country or countries and entities concerned to implement 
the  project,  including  a  clear  demonstration  of  the  benefits  of  the  project  and  how  it 
responds  to  different  demands,  a  realistic  and  affordable  financing  plan  and  an 
implementation timetable, 

•  an  analysis  of  the  benefits  of  the  project  in  terms  of  its  economic  and  financial, 
institutional,  environmental  and  social  impact.  These  analyses  will  take  account  of  the 
ways  in  which  projects  contribute  to  economic  efficiency,  environmental  sustainability, 
improved safety and security, etc. 

Partnership  operations  to  improve  infrastructure  along  trans-African  corridors  and  networks 
alone  are  not  enough.  These  operations  need  to  be  supplemented  by  “facilitation  measures” 
that ensure efficient movement of traffic along corridors and networks and minimum delays at 
borders.  Such  measures  include,  inter  alia,  harmonisation  of  transit  transport  and  trade 
regulations  and  procedures,  technical  and  administrative  interoperability,  implementation  of 
new technologies, such as traffic management and electricity  grid systems, and measures to 
improve safety and security. The EU operations will include a balance of physical investment 
and facilitation measures. 

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The EU-Africa Partnership on Infrastructure: Transport 

A brief overview 

Physical  links  in  Africa  fall  well  short  of  expectations  and  the  infrastructure  and  services 
network remains under-developed. Road transport is the dominant mode, accounting for 90% 
of inter-urban transport. 

Roads  linking  sub-regions  are  modest  and  road  conditions  vary  from  region  to  region,  and 
within regions and countries. Road conditions are improving in many African countries where 
the practices  advocated by the Sub-Saharan  African Transport Policy Programme  (SSATP)9 
are  being  implemented.  Sustaining  these  road  conditions  demands  more  revenue  for 
maintenance.  Although  sufficient  revenue  may  exist  in  just  a  few  countries,  the  current 
revenue  of  road  maintenance  funds  covers  approximately  40%  of  network  needs.  The 
increasing  number  of  semi-autonomous  road  agencies  is  encouraging  and  makes  increasing 
government and donor investments more sustainable. Such changes are leading to increased 
private sector involvement in roads. Progress over the past 10 years has been commendable, 
particularly  given  the  fragile  economy  of  many  African  countries.  Governments  must, 
however, redouble their efforts to increase their network maintenance. 

Road  maintenance  remains  a  major  problem  for  many  African  road  agencies.  Deferred 
maintenance  has  resulted  in  the  loss  of  one  third  of  the  capital  invested  in  the  SSA  road 
network.  Maintenance  budgets  also  remain  an  easy  target  for  governments  seeking  savings; 
these  are  usually  false  economies.  Deteriorating  road  conditions  impose  extra  costs  on  road 
users in the form of increased vehicle operating costs or higher freight tariffs and passenger 
fares  in  the  case  of  commercial  operations.  The  EU  has  developed  a  sectoral  approach10  to 
tackle the issue of road maintenance. 

Experience has defined fundamental principles for the EU’s sectoral approach to sustainable 
road maintenance. These are: 

•  Involving  stakeholders:  as  most  maintenance  revenue  is  raised  from  user  charges,  road 
users  and  beneficiaries  are  demanding  to  know  where  and  how  funds  are  spent. 
Stakeholders are increasingly involved in prioritising road maintenance in country poverty 
reduction strategies and sit on the boards of road funds and road agencies.  

•  Securing  finance:  road  funds  are  proving  an  effective  means  of  managing  maintenance 
revenue, largely based on a fuel maintenance levy. Where road funds operate under “2nd 
generation” principles the traditional objections of fiscal earmarking tend to disappear. 

•  Restructuring  institutions:  road  networks  have  to  be  managed  as  a  business.  This  means 
defining clear responsibilities between the many road organisations, introducing effective 
management  information,  accounting  and  auditing  systems,  using  the  private  sector  for 
service  and  works  delivery  and  paying  professionals  adequately.  One  effective  way  to 
address all these issues is to create autonomous road agencies outside the civil service. 

9 

10 

SSATP  includes  32  SSA  countries  and  the  RECs.  Its  Long  Term  Development  Plan  (2004-07)  is 
supported  by  EC  (major  donor),  France,  Denmark,  Ireland,  Norway,  Sweden,  UNECA  and  World 
Bank. 
COM(2000) 422: Promoting sustainable transport in development cooperation 

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•  Updating standards and regulations: ensuring that road networks cause minimum negative 
social  and  environmental  impact,  responding  to  the  different  needs  of  men  and  women, 
taking  account  of  HIV/AIDS,  improving  road  safety  and  controlling  vehicle  overloading 
call for updating and effectively enforcing standards and regulations. 

Shipping is served by some 60 major ports with facilities ranging from conventional berths to 
container,  oil  and  bulk  cargo  (see  the  map  of  the  trans-African  transport  corridors).  Many 
ports  struggle  to  offer  competitive  services  due  to  inadequate  equipment  and  complex 
regulations.  Similary,  fishing  ports,  which  could  play  a  major  role  in  the  economic 
development  of  coastal  countries,  very  often  have  inadequate  facilities  and  services  for 
handling  local  and  foreign  vessels  and  infrastructure  for  the  storage  and  processing  of  fish 
products. Where the private sector is involved in concessions for container terminals and port 
management, port services are becoming more efficient, e.g. in Maputo, Dar es Salaam and 
Mombasa.  

Africa  is  endowed  with  many  lakes  and  rivers,  yet  few  countries  integrate  inland  waterway 
transport into a regional system. Exceptions are the countries surrounding Lake Victoria and 
Lake Tanganyika and the countries along the River Congo.  

Railway coverage is sparse and where it exists density is low at 3 kilometres per 1 000 square 
kilometres  (see  the  map  of  African  railways).  Africa’s  railways  date  back  to  the  colonial 
period and were built to harness the mineral and agricultural  resources of the  continent. No 
regional or continental African railways network exists. Railways are expensive to construct 
and equip, require a higher degree of management skills and must be highly used if they are to 
be  financially  viable.  Railway  services  are  slowly  being  concessioned  to  the  private  sector. 
This  is  a  long  process  involving  a  lengthy  lead  time  to  financial  closure.  It  also  demands 
considerable  restructuring  of  the  railway  corporations,  involving  retrenchment  with  its 
consequent negative social impact. Returns to the concessionaire are only gradually emerging 
and should be considered a medium- and long-term prospect. 

Air  transport  has  not  fully  benefited  from  the  adoption  of  the  Yamoussoukro  Decision  in 
1999, which pushes liberalisation of access to the region’s air transport market. SADC is the 
most integrated region. Full implementation of the Decision is hampered by poor competition 
rules  and  protectionist  measures  for  national  airlines.  Similarly,  efficient  air  services  are 
hindered by limited investment in airport infrastructure, which often needs modernisation if it 
is to meet international safety and security standards. 

Overall  transport  infrastructure  quality  is  slowly  improving  but  is  not  always  matched  by 
simplification  and  harmonisation  of  operational  issues.  These  include  cumbersome  customs 
and  administrative  procedures,  illegal  roadblocks,  conflicting  regional  trade  arrangements, 
etc.  Consequently,  transport  costs  are  high,  averaging  14%  of  the  value  of  all  exports 
compared  with  8.6%  for  all  developing  countries,  and  higher  still  for  many  landlocked 
countries – Malawi (56%), Chad (52%) and Rwanda (48%). 

A basis for dialogue: interconnecting trans-African corridors and regional networks 

Reducing the cost and improving the quality of transport services is central to the transport-
related part of EU development policy. This means removing infrastructure and non-physical 
barriers to free movement of goods, services and people, improving maintenance of transport 
assets,  etc.  and  pursuing  the  sectoral  objectives  of  trade  corridors  without  borders  and 
barriers;  better  and  safer  roads;  competitive  rail  services;  efficient  ports  and  safe  seas  and 

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ports; and safe, secure skies and airports. And, complementary investment in communciations 
infastructure will lead to a more efficient flow of transit traffic along corridors and regional 
networks. EU programmes support these objectives and match the focus on interconnectivity 
at regional and continental level. 

The  trans-African  corridors  and  the  regional  road  network  linking  the  corridors  to  country 
networks are shown on the map below. It is mainly based on work carried out by the African 
Development  Bank  in  coordination  with  the  RECs  and  includes  information  received  from 
other  donors.  The  continental  corridors  and  regional  networks  reflect  a  vision  of  a  more 
interconnected and better integrated Africa, which matches AU-NEPAD’s aspirations. 

Eight main trans-African corridors are identified, extending over a total length of 37 500 km 
of  which  14 300 km  are  in  poor  condition  or  “missing  links”.  There  is  also  an  extensive 
network of regional roads linking capitals, production areas, etc. that form an integral part of 
the  trans-African  corridors.  Further  analysis  is  required  to  establish  the  condition  of  this 
regional network and to prioritise its investment needs. The eight main trans-African corridors 
are: 

Dakar–N’Djamena:  The  “trans-Sahelian  highway”  is  approximately  4 500 km  long  and 
crosses  seven  countries:  Senegal,  Mali,  Burkina  Faso,  Niger,  Nigeria,  Cameroon  and  Chad. 
Almost 35% of the corridor is in poor condition, especially stretches in Senegal and Mali.  

The  Nouackchott–Lagos  corridor  is  approximately  4 500  km  long  and  crosses  all  twelve 
coastal countries between Mauritania and Nigeria. It provides the most direct road connection 
between the capitals of the countries. Approximately 28% of the corridor is in poor condition. 

The  Khartoum–Djibouti  corridor  is  approximately  1 900 km  long  and  links  Sudan  and 
Ethiopia  to  the  port  of  Djibouti.  Road  conditions  vary  from  good  to  fair,  except  for  two 
stretches of approximately 330 km in Djibouti and Ethiopia that are in poor condition. 

The  Lagos–Mombasa  corridor  is  approximately  6 300 km  long  and  connects  the  ports  of 
West Africa  (Nigeria and  Cameroon) and East Africa (Mombasa), providing the landlocked 
Central  African  countries  with  access  to  the  coast.  Road  conditions  are  poor  along  almost 
53% of the corridor, especially in the Central African Republic, DRC and Uganda. 

The  Cairo–Gaborone  corridor  is  the  major  trans-African  corridor,  approximately  8 900 km 
long. Road conditions vary along the corridor, with almost 33% in poor condition. 

The  N’Djamena–Windhoek  corridor  is  approximately  6 200  km  long  and  links  seven 
countries (Chad, Cameroon, CAR, Congo, DR Congo, Angola and Namibia). Approximately 
45% of the corridor is in poor condition. 

The  Beira-Lobito  corridor  is  approximately  3 500  km  long  and  connects  the  port  of  Beira 
with  Harare  and  continues  to  Lusaka.  It  links  four  countries:  Mozambique,  Zimbabwe, 
Zambia and Angola. Approximately 45% of the corridor is in poor condition, particularly in 
Angola.  

The  Dar  Es  Salaam–Kigali  corridor  -  the  East-African  central  corridor  -  is  1 700 km  long 
and connects the landlocked countries of Rwanda, Burundi and Uganda to the port of Dar Es 
Salaam. Road conditions vary, with about 500 km, especially in Tanzania, in poor condition. 

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The map does not show the well-developed corridors in South Africa nor the corridors linking 
South  Africa  to  its  neighbours,  e.g.  the  Johannesburg-Maputo  corridor.  For  North  Africa, 
which  has  a  better  developed  network,  the  map  shows  only  the  Cairo-Agadir  corridor.

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The EU-Africa Partnership on Infrastructure: Energy 

A brief overview 

In  Africa  access  to  modern  energy  services  remains  very  low.  Less  than  20%  of  Africa’s 
population has access to electricity and for them power rationing and cuts are part of the daily 
routine. This inhibits job creation, industrial investment and entrepreneurial development, and 
impedes production of competitive goods and services. Wider use of modern, sustainable and 
affordable  energy  services  will  improve  the  efficiency  of  health  and  education  services, 
reduce  deforestation  and  ease  the  daily  burden  that  women  bear  in  Africa.  The  EU  Energy 
Initiative (EUEI) launched at  the  WSSD provides the  policy framework for the EC and EU 
Member States to channel their efforts towards increasing access to modern energy services. 
The 9th EDF ACP-EU Energy Facility (€220 million) recently launched a call for proposals 
that will be able to co finance investments in rural energy access, to support governance and 
management  in  the  energy  sector  and  to  facilitate  investments  in  cross-border  energy 
interconnections  and  cooperation.  These  EU  operations  are  also  complemented  by  actions 
carried out under the JREC initiative. 

Africa’s substantial indigenous energy resources, fossil fuels (oil, gas and coal) and renewable 
sources  (hydro,  biomass,  biofuel,  wind,  geothermal  and  solar)  are  inefficiently  used.  Most 
fossil fuel is exported. The rising world market price of oil has a marked negative impact on 
the  GDP  of  oil-importing  countries,  particularly  the  LDCs.  Renewable  resources  are  under-
used and only 7% of Africa’s hydropower potential is converted into electricity.  

Increased  national  and  cross-border  energy  cooperation  and  trade  is  essential  to  improve 
reliability,  affordability  and  access.  It  is  acknowledged  that  the  traditional  approach  of 
limiting  energy  planning  and  service  provision  to  nation  states  has  a  negative  effect  on 
development of the energy sector in Africa. Nation-based planning is sub-optimal in several 
respects:  (a)  the  geography  of  energy  supply  options  does  not  necessarily  correspond  to 
political  boundaries,  since  the  cleanest  and  cheapest  energy  source  may  lie  across  national 
borders; (b) national energy markets are often too small to justify the investments needed to 
harness certain energy supply options; (c) the difficulties involved in the delivery of energy 
services  in  remote  areas  due  to  weak  planning  frameworks  and  regulations;  (d)  local  and 
cross-border energy supply often allows diversification of energy sources – a key component 
in energy security.  

Steps  are  being  taken  to  integrate  regional  energy  systems.  Progress  is  being  made  on 
improving  power  distribution  through  regional  power  pools,  interconnected  electricity  grids 
and  plans  for  regional  power  development.  The  Southern  African  and  West  African  Power 
Pools  are  increasing  the  transit  capacity  for  electricity  interchange  between  the  countries 
concerned. Central and East Africa have established their power pools. These are just the first 
steps, and much more needs to be done.  

Similarly,  the  RECs  are  promoting  cooperation  on  the  development  of  gas  and  hydropower 
resources.  Some  cross-border  schemes  already  exist,  for  example,  the  Kariba  South  power 
station between Zambia and Zimbabwe and the Ruzizi hydroelectric station between Burundi, 
the DRC and Rwanda. Other hydropower generating facilities have bilateral agreements that 
play a key role in cross-border trade in electricity. At the same time individual countries are 
continuing  to  develop  renewable  energy  sources  for  decentralised  generation  of  electricity, 
which can be suitable solutions for increasing access in rural areas. 

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The EU’s recent Green Paper on energy11 sees interconnection of energy  systems  as  one  of 
the  priority  areas.  Other  priorities  include  the  international  promotion  of  the  rational  use  of 
energy and renewable energy, which requires dialogue with between producer, and consumer 
countries.  Interconnectivity  would  help  Europe  to  diversify  its  sources  of  supply,  while 
upgraded  and  new  infrastructure  would  improve  the  security  of  energy  supplies.  Within  the 
context of the Partnership, concrete measures are needed to develop energy partnerships with 
producer and transit countries. The Partnership could also improve the development of energy 
and  transport  facilities  (especially  in  ports)  of  producer  countries  that  allows  more  efficient 
use of their resources and attracts foreign investment. 

Within  the  thematic  programme  of  “Environment  and  sustainable  management  of  natural 
resources, including energy” the EUEI, JREC and the future COOPENER programme will be 
able  to  support  the  EU-Africa  Partnership  on  Infrastructure.  The  COOPENER  programme 
could  provide  institutional  support  for  improving  access  to  sustainable  energy  services  and 
actions aimed at improving energy security, e.g. by stimulating regional cooperation between 
countries,  the  private  sector  and  non-governmental  organisations  for  promoting  regional 
interconnectivity. 

A basis for dialogue: a focus on interconnectivity 

The map shows the main electricity interconnections identified by NEPAD and RECs. It will 
guide the dialogue to identify priority action and the financial set-up. 

NEPAD  i-STAP  refers  to  the  power  pools  as  the  entities  responsible  for  implementing  the 
projects. The power pools include national utilities of member countries that are responsible 
for  optimising  use  of  regional  energy  resources  and  country-to-country  support  during  an 
energy crisis. 

The  power  pools  are  based  on  a  multitude  of  legal  documents,  such  as  inter-governmental, 
inter-utility  agreements,  agreements  between  operating  members  and  operating  guidelines. 
The present situation with the power pools in the continent is as follows: 

North  African  region:  the  Maghreb  Union,  COMELEC,  which  includes  Mauritania, 
Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Libya. 

Southern  African  region:  Southern  Africa  Power  Pool  (SAPP)  -  DRC,  Angola,  Zambia, 
Tanzania,  Namibia,  Botswana,  Zimbabwe,  Malawi,  Mozambique,  Lesotho,  Swaziland  and 
South Africa. 

West African region: West Africa Power Pool (WAPP) - Senegal, Guinea Bissau, Gambia, 
Guinea Conakry, Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Ghana, Togo, Benin, 
Nigeria and Cape Verde. 

Central  African  region:  Central  Africa  Power  Pool  (CAPP)  -  Cameroon,  Gabon,  Chad, 
CAR,  DRC,  Equatorial  Guinea,  Sao  Tome,  Congo  and  Angola.  Applications  from  Rwanda 
and Burundi are being processed. 

East African region: Eastern Africa Power Pool (EAPP) - Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia, Uganda, 
Kenya, Rwanda and Burundi. Participation by Eritrea, Somalia and Tanzania is on hold. 

11 

COM(2006) 105. 

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Among these power pools, SAPP and WAPP are more mature than CAPP and EAPP, which 
are very recent. This is reflected on the map, which shows that interconnections in the WAPP 
and SAPP regions are more clearly defined than in the EAPP and CAPP regions. Some of the 
interconnections shown on the map are being implemented or are near financial closure. 

NEPAD i-STAP envisages support for: 

•  projects of continental relevance - identified by a bold, dotted line,  

•  regional power pools - identified by a lighter dotted line, 

•  capacity-building  activities,  especially  for  power  pools,  NEPAD,  AUC,  AFREC  and 

regulatory institutions, some of which will be financed by the EUEI Energy Facility. 

NEPAD has also identified the Nigeria-Algeria gas pipeline as a priority, together with other 
oil  and  gas  projects,  such  as  the  West  Africa  gas  pipeline  (under  construction),  the  Kenya-
Uganda oil pipeline and the Tunisia-Libya gas pipeline. 

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The EU-Africa Partnership on Infrastructure: Water 

A brief overview 

Water  resources  are  unevenly  distributed  and  erratic  rainfall  exacerbates  equitable  access. 
Many  African  countries  suffer  large  seasonal  rainfall  fluctuations  and  periodic  cycles  of 
drought  and  flood.  Climate  change  will  exacerbate  the  extremes  of  variability  of  water 
availability. As a result, the population living in water-scarce countries in Africa will rise to 
over  400  million  by  2010,  mainly  located  in  North  Africa.  These  levels  of  water  scarcity 
constrain  food  production,  ecosystem  protection  and  economic  development,  particularly 
among the poor. 

Most  of  Africa’s  water  resources  are  shared  and  cross  borders.  Transboundary  river  basins 
need  joint  management  for  conservation  and  equitable  resource  sharing.  Integrated  water 
resource management provides such a framework and will also promote peace and security in 
transboundary water basins. This framework is crucial as some countries’ resources originate 
beyond their borders, for example Mauritania (95%) and Botswana (94%). There are some 60 
international  river  and  lake  basins  in  Africa,  although  fewer  than  10  have  the  cooperation 
agreements necessary for sustainable management and equitable sharing of resources between 
riparian  states.  One  notable  example  of  cooperative  water  resource  management  is  the  Nile 
Basin Initiative, a partnership between the Nile riparian states led by the Council of Ministers 
of Water Affairs. It aims to achieve sustained socio-economic development through equitable 
use  of  the  common  Nile  Basin  water  resources.  Creating  new  river  basin  organisations  and 
revitalising existing organisations is one priority of the African Ministerial Council on Water 
in its efforts to deliver the African Water Vision for 2025. 

More  effective  management  of  water  resources is  needed to  improve water security and the 
affordability  of  water  services  at  country  level  and  to  contribute  effectively  to  the  MDGs. 
Today over 300 million people – some 42% of Africa’s population - still have no access to 
safe water.  Similarly access to basic sanitation is denied to 60% of  the  population.  Without 
clean water and good sanitation, diarrhoea and other water-borne diseases will multiply. Food 
security and economic productivity will be threatened and HIV/AIDS treatment will be less 
effective. Africa has potential for hydropower production of about 1.4 million GWh per year. 
Currently, however, despite the immense possibilities, hydropower generation represents less 
than  5  percent  of  the  electricity  generated.  Water  for  industrial  use  is  also  very  low  and 
accounts for only 6 percent of water used. Integrated water resource management at a basin 
level provides the framework for managing these competing demands for water. 

Making better use of scarce resources through better water management, efficient irrigation, 
reducing  leakage  and  waste  and  avoiding  pollution  are  all  necessary  in  order  to  reap  the 
estimated economic benefit of US$ 22 billion when Africa achieves its water and sanitation 
MDGs.  More  efficient,  more  sustainable  water  use  and  basin  management  should  also 
contribute  to  the  goals  of  halting  or  reversing  the  current  loss  of  natural  resources  and 
biodiversity by 2015. 

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Therefore, strong political will and financial commitment to joint management, development 
and  harnessing  of  transboundary  water  will  contribute  to  reducing  poverty  at  local  level. 
Better use of water at country level will enable national authorities to expand access to water 
and  sanitation  at  more  affordable  prices.  This,  however,  depends  on  balancing  investments 
between infrastructure provision, governance and providing national and local authorities with 
the capacity effectively to manage and monitor water resources and service provision.  

A basis for dialogue - transboundary water management in Africa 

There is a need to get riparian states to cooperate on the use of the resources of shared rivers 
and ground water basins. This involves (i) preparing water resources management plans that 
address the needs of all users and respect the needs of the environment, and (ii) developing 
the  infrastructure  (dams,  irrigation  systems,  water  supplies,  hydro-electric  power)  that  is 
needed  to  reduce  vulnerability  to  droughts,  to  manage  floods  better,  to  ensure  more  water, 
more food and more electricity in a way that takes account of the needs of the river system 
itself. This means laying a strong foundation for cooperative action and for future investment 
projects to follow the decision-making framework of the World Commission on Dams Report 
of 2000.  

Integrated  Water  Resources  Management  (IWRM)  is  central  to  EC  development  policy 
related to water, to the EU Water Initiative (EUWI) and the Africa-EU Partnership on water 
affairs and sanitation launched at the WSSD. As a result of the EUWI, €10 million from 9th 
EDF  is  being  used  to  support  transboundary  management  in  five  basins  in  Africa  (Niger, 
Volta,  Lake  Chad,  Kagera  and  Orange/Senqu).  The  9th  EDF  ACP-EU  Water  Facility  (€500 
million)  is  also  supporting  transboundary  water  management  and  the  establishment  and 
reinforcement of river basin authorities as well as investments at the national and local level. 
These Water Facility operations are complementary to investments by the National Indicative 
Programmes. Funds from the ACP-EU Water Facility have been allocated to the Nile Basin 
Initiative (NBI - €18 million), the Niger and the Senegal (€2 million each). The EC is thereby 
supporting regional water management in specific fields: 

•  Establishment  of  and  support  for  the  “Shared  Vision  Programme”  in  the  Nile  and  the 
Niger. This provides the basic framework for sustainable use of shared water resources and 
is a prerequisite for sound investment in infrastructure.  

•  Support for existing basin authorities (Senegal, Orange/Senqu and Lake Chad) and for the 

establishment of new ones (Volta). 

•  Multi-purpose basin development addressing the different water uses, as part of the NBI. 

•  In  the  field  of  disaster  preparedness,  support  for  a  flood  preparedness  programme  in  the 

Eastern Nile for Ethiopia and Sudan, as part of the NBI. 

•  Knowledge  and  monitoring  of  water  resources  for  better  management.  The  EC  is 
supporting  the  HYCOS  Programme  (Hydrological  Cycle  Observing  System)  and  the 
establishment of a pan-African water information system. 

Building on this substantial and varied support already provided by the EC for transboundary 
basin  management  in  Africa,  further  opportunities  will  be  developed  to  respond  to  AU-
NEPAD/REC  priorities.  Funds  from  the  ACP-EU  Water  Facility  will  support  the  start-up 
phase of this process. Initially, the focus must be on basins prioritised by NEPAD in its 2005 

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STAP  for  Transboundary  Water  Management  (Niger,  Senegal,  Congo,  Lake  Chad,  Nile, 
Okavango and Zambezi) and on expanding support for other basins, particularly: 

•  Establish and support for “shared vision programmes” as the framework for sustainable use 

of shared water resources and a prerequisite for sound investment in infrastructure. 

•  Establish  and  support  for  basin  authorities  and  building  their  capacities,  as  a  necessary 

foundation for sustainable infrastructure development.  

•  Contributions  to  project  preparation  and  implementation  to  complement  existing 

instruments (within the AfDB, NEPAD, SADC, etc.). 

The  programme  of  action  will  be  developed  and  implemented  in  close  collaboration  with 
African  institutions  (AU-NEPAD,  AMCOW,  RECs,  AfDB)  and  other  donors  (such  as 
Germany which has undertaken a programme to initiate support for the Congo basin). 

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The EU-Africa Partnership on Infrastructure: ICT 

A brief overview 

The  uptake  of  ICTs  in  Sub-Saharan  Africa  has  been  hampered  by  the  non-existence  of 
appropriate regulatory frameworks and the inadequacy of infrastructure. The number of fixed 
telephone lines is minimal and the waiting period for a telephone connection may be several 
years.  Fortunately  mobile  telephony  and  pre-paid  cards  are  solving  many  of  Africa’s 
communication problems. Additionally, Africa is wasting US$400 million each year by intra-
African telecom traffic that transits outside Africa because of a lack of interconnections and 
clearing  houses.  Large  bandwidth  at  reasonable  costs  remains  an  issue  for  landlocked 
countries.  Building  on  the  broad  experience  of  the  EU  and  following  the  2nd  phase  of  the 
World  Summit  on  the  Information  Society  (WSIS),  the  Communication  “Towards  a  Global 
Partnership on the Information Society: Follow up to the Tunis Phase of the WSIS” of April 
2006 - paved the way for addressing the digital divide in developing regions, notably Africa. 

A basis for dialogue: regulatory reform,  broadband and non-commercial e-application 
investment 

Support  to  Regulatory  Reform:  It  is  widely  recognised  that  the  private  sector  can  play  a 
major  role  in  ICTs.  Even  in  Africa  where  many  incumbent  operators  are  still  state-owned, 
several  governments  have  privatized  their  fixed-telecom  operator.  Moreover,  the  mobile 
telecom operators are mainly in the hands of the private sector, local or foreign. To attract the 
private sector a stable legal environment and an appropriate regulatory framework are needed. 

Figure 1: ICT competition 

Figure 2: Independent regulators 

This map compares monopolistic or competitive practices in 
services such as local, domestic long-distance, international, 
wireless local loop and mobile. 

Full autonomy implies national regulatory authorities that are 
independent from political and financial pressures and that are 
staffed by appropriately trained professionals. 

Source: ITU 

Source: ITU 

The boundaries, colours, denomination and any other information shown on these maps do not imply, on the part of the European 
Commission, any judgment on the legal status of any territory, or any endorsement or acceptance of such boundaries.  

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Therefore,  while  ensuring  that  the  social  aspects  of  liberalisation  are  considered,  it  is 
recommended that action be directed towards: 

•  establishing and consolidating national and regional ICT strategies, which support poverty 

reduction strategies; 

•  creating  national  and  regional  regulatory  frameworks  for  electronic  communications  that 
ensure a level playing field and facilitate competition whereby competing firms are assured 
of equal access to technology and fair pricing; 

•  establishing independent national regulatory authorities. 

Activities  could  consist  of  assistance  measures  to  manage  the  transition  to  liberalised 
telecommunications markets in order to facilitate network interconnection and interoperability 
of services, while fostering the reduction of telecommunication costs and the introduction of 
new technologies. This would include training activities, technical assistance and sharing of 
good practices for regional policy makers and regulators.  

To implement these activities, the Commission will favour a sub-regional approach in order to 
take benefit of an economy of scale and to promote the emergence of broader markets. 

Investment  in  technologically  neutral  broadband  infrastructure:  There  are  presently 
several  broadband  technologies  options  for  rolling  out  a  broadband  infrastructure  on  the 
African  continent:  wireless  technologies,  including  satellite,  wire-line  technologies  (e.g. 
optical fibre networks, but also power line communications) and a combination of these.  

Support to the deployment of a broadband infrastructure at pan-African level should be based 
on a technologically neutral approach with choices between the different options relying on 
current  and  planned  ICT  infrastructures  and  considerations  related  to  deployability, 
bandwidth, coverage and cost. 

Principal backbones infrastructure, existing and planned, in Africa 

EASSy:  Submarine  cable  running  along  the  African  East  Coast 
that would close the ring around Africa. 

COMTEL:  this  consortium  is  entirely  composed  of  incumbent 
telco  covering  21  countries,  reflecting  the  COMESA  membership 
basis of the organisation. 

Central  African  ring:  This  is  a  network  infrastructure 
proposed  by  Celtel,  that  would  link  a  range  of  countries 
including:  Kenya,  Malawi,  Uganda,  Tanzania  and  Bukoba  in 
Eastern DRC.  

COM-7:  This  route  proposed  by  Com-Africa  connects  seven 
countries  in  East  and  Southern  Africa.  It  has  no  incumbent 
telco involvement. 

West-East-West  linkages  E2-E3-E4-E5:  The  trans-Sahel  backbone  linking 
Burkina Faso, Niger, Chad, Sudan, and Uganda . A redundant ring could also be created by 
linking with the Central African backbone by continuing South through Chad via Cameroon 

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to Gabon, taking advantage of the Cameroun-Chad fibre backbone that has been laid along the 
oil pipeline. 

There  is  a  consensus  that  in  circumstances  where  the  market  does  not  deliver,  state-
intervention  should  not  be  excluded.  Such  situations  include  (i)  the  rural  sector,  (ii)  trans-
border  communications;  (iii)  post-conflict  situations,  (iv)  networks  that  are  operated  by  the 
governments for internal usage (in principal to be avoided), and (v) broadband networks that 
are operated according to the “Open Access Principle.”  

Non-commercial e-services: The objective would be to promote the usage of the underlying 
ICT  infrastructures  thus  encouraging  further  investment  through  the  development  of  e-
applications  and  services  of  high  societal  impact  such  as  education,  health,  agriculture, 
environment and e-government. 

The development of projects in these domains should exploit synergies with EU programmes 
and  initiatives  such  as  trans-European  Networks  for  Telecommunications,  TEN-Telecom, 
i2010, the EU Research and Development Framework Programmes, the Interchange of Data 
between  Administrations  (IDABC)  Programme,  or  the  recent  established  co-operation 
between ESA and DEV to promote telemedicine through satellites. Examples of these are: 

•  Research  and  Education  Networks:  the  aim  would  be  to  improve  the  connectivity  of 
African national research and education networks and to interconnect them with the EU’s 
GÉANT2. This would integrate African researchers into global research communities and 
limit the “brain drain”. 

•  The recently established collaboration between the ESA and DEV to promote telemedicine 
through  satellites  should  be  furthered.  A  task  force  composed  of  the  relevant  African 
Organizations,  the  WHO,  EC  and  ESA  has  been  set  up  to  identify  a  framework  of 
appropriate actions for a telemedicine program in sub-Saharan Africa. The TTF activities 
will be complemented by an analysis of the cost benefits of the implementation and by a 
study of system architecture and related costs of a pan-African satellite-based telemedicine. 

•  e-government  between  the  AUC  and  its  Member  countries  in  a  similar  way  to  the  EU’s 

Interchange of Data between Administrations programme,  

•  the NEPAD e-Schools Initiative that will connect 600,000 African schools to the Internet 

and provide better education to the millions of children, 

•  the  adaptation  to  the  needs  of  Africa  of  the  products  and  services  developed  by  the  EU 
the  field  of  e-learning, 

Research  and  Development  Framework  Programmes 
telemedicine and e-government. 

in 

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EC commitments to transport, energy, water and sanitation, and ICT in Africa (€) 

Sub Saharan Africa commitments are EDF, North Africa commitments are EU budget 
resources  

2003 

2004 

2005 

Total 

Transport 
Sub Saharan Africa 
North Africa 

Energy 
Sub Saharan Africa 
North Africa 

Water and  
sanitation 
Sub Saharan Africa 
North Africa 

ICT 
Sub Saharan Africa 
North Africa 

Total 
Sub Saharan Africa 
North Africa 
Grand total - Africa 

628,000,000
96,000,000, 

401,400,000 
43,000,000 

807,400,000 
19,000,000 

1,836,800,000 
158,000,000 

500,000 
- 

6,300,000 
8,600,000 

4,000,000* 
- 

10,800,000 
8,600,000 

169,200,000
31,700,000 

137,900,000 
77,900,000 

313,900,000** 
102,700,000 

621,000,000 
212,300,000 

11,100,000 
- 

21,000,000 
4,000,000 

- 
- 

32,100,000 
4,000,000 

808,800,000
127,700,000
936,500,000 

566,600,000 
133,500,000 
700,100,000 

1,125,300,000 
121,700,000 
1,247,000,000 

2,500,700,000 
382,900,000 
2,883,600,000 

Source: EuropeAid Cooperation Office  

Notes 

* The ACP-EC Council of Ministers decided on 25 June 2005 to set up the Energy Facility. 
The Facility will commit €220 million by the end of 2007. The call for proposals has been 
launched. 

** The ACP-EC Water Facility has resources of €500 million. During 2004-2005, €125 
million was committed and the remaining €375 million will be committed by the end of 2007. 

For Sub Saharan Africa: commitments are exclusively EDF programmable resources (and the 
Water Facility). 

For North Africa: commitments are exclusively EU budget resources. 

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Abbreviations 

ACP 

AfDB 

AFREC 

AIDS 

Africa, Caribbean, Pacific 

African Development Bank 

African Energy Commission 

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome 

AMCOW 

African Ministerial Council on Water 

AU 

AUC 

CAPP 

CAR 

African Union 

African Union Commission 

Central Africa Power Pool 

Central African Republic 

COMELEC 

Comité Maghrebin de l’Electricité 

COMESA 

Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa 

COOPENER 

Cooperation Energy Programme 

COSCAP 

Cooperative  Development  of  Operational  Safety  and  Continuing  Airworthiness 
Project 

DAC 

DFI 

DRC 

EAPP 

EASSy 

EC 

EDF 

EIB 

EPA 

ESA 

EU 

EUEI 

EUWI 

FPA 

GDP 

GNI 

HIV 

Development Assistance Committee (of the OECD) 

Development Financing Institutions 

Democratic Republic of Congo 

Eastern Africa Power Pool 

Eastern Africa Submarine Cable System 

European Community 

European Development Fund 

European Investment Bank 

Economic Partnership Agreement 

European Space Agency 

European Union 

EU Energy Initiative 

EU Water Initiative 

Fishery Partnership Agreements 

Gross Domestic Product 

Gross National Income 

Human Immunodeficiency Virus 

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HYCOS 

Hydrological Cycle Observing System 

ICAO 

ICT 

IDABC 

International Civil Aviation Organisation 

Information and Communications Technology 

Interoperable  Delivery  of  European  eGovernment  Services 
Administrations, Businesses and Citizens 

to  public 

i-STAP 

Infrastructure Short Term Action Plan (of NEPAD) 

ITU 

IWRM 

JREC 

LDC 

MDGs 

NBI 

International Telecommunications Union 

Integrated Water Resources Management 

Johannesburg Renewable Energy Coalition 

Least Developed Countries 

Millennium Development Goals 

Nile Basin Initiative 

NEPAD 

New Partnership for Africa’s Development 

NIP 

ODA 

OECD 

REC 

REEP 

RIP 

SADC 

SAPP  

SESAR 

SSATP 

STAP 

TEN 

TTF 

WAPP 

WHO 

WSSD 

National Indicative Programme 

Official Development Assistance 

Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development 

Regional Economic Community 

Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Partnership 

Regional Indicative Programme 

Southern African Development Community 

Southern Africa Power Pool 

Single European Sky ATM Research 

Sub-Saharan Africa Transport Programme 

Short Term Action Plan (of NEPAD) 

Trans-European Networks 

Technology Transfer Facility 

West Africa Power Pool 

World Health Organisation 

World Summit on Sustainable Development 

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