The NEPAD Infrastructure Project Preparation Facility (NEPAD-IPPF) Special Fund is a multi- donor Special Fund established by the African Development Bank (AfDB) and Donors partners, following the 2002 G8 Summit, originally as an untied bilateral Fund, to assist African countries, Regional Economic Communities (RECs) and Specialized Institutions (SIs) to prepare regional infrastructure projects. In 2005, the Facility was transformed in a multi- donor Trust Fund with the entry of five other donors: Germany, Denmark, Norway, United Kingdom and Spain. Since its establishment, the NEPAD-IPPF has been hosted and administered by the AfDB, which is also a donor to the Fund. The Fund is managed by the AfDB’s Infrastructure Partnerships Division (PICU.3), under the Infrastructure and Urban Development Department (PICU), within the Vice Presidency Private Sector, Infrastructure and Industrialization (PIVP).
The overall goal of the NEPAD-IPPF Special Fund is to contribute to enhanced regional economic development and integration on the continent, in partnership with the African Union Commission (AUC) and its development agency (AUDA NEPAD). To discharge its mission, the Fund pools resources mobilized from donors and extends grants to project promoters (African countries, RECs, SIs) for the preparation of high quality viable regional/continental infrastructure projects in the energy, transport, trans-boundary water resources management and ICT sectors, which would be ready to solicit financing from both the public and private sources. In addition, the Fund’s resources are used to strengthen the capacity of recipients in formulating infrastructure development projects and programs, so as to attract more public and private investments for the implementation of infrastructure to the benefit of the Regional Member Countries of the AfDB (RMCs). The Facility aims to be the lead project preparation Fund in Africa, playing a catalytic role in mobilizing resources for the preparation of infrastructure projects included in the Priority Action Plan (PAP) of the Program for Infrastructure Development in Africa (PIDA), in support of NEPAD’s goals for sustainable development and poverty reduction.
The Fund’s governance structure includes an Oversight Committee (OC) which meets semi- annually, provides general policy direction and ensures effective governance of the Facility’s activities. The OC reviews the operational focus of the NEPAD-IPPF, the proposed areas of intervention, reviews the annual report of activities financed from the resources of the NEPAD-IPPF, and ensure that the activities are consistent with the Fund’s mandate. The OC is made up of seven (7) representatives: three (3) appointed by Donors, two (2) by the AfDB, and two (2) by the African Union Commission (AUC) and African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD). The current OC is chaired by Germany (KfW).
Objectives of the 33rd OC meeting
Over the years, the OC has contributed tremendously to the success of the NEPAD-IPPF Special Fund through its continuous guidance and recommendations. The objective of this 33rd Oversight Committee meeting is to discuss operational issues and future activities of the Fund. The meeting will be held virtually from 14 to 15 October 2021. This two – half days meeting intends to provide a forum for follow-up on the recommendations from the 31st and 32nd OC meeting held in September 2020 and in March 2021, and review progress in the implementation of key infrastructure studies supported by the Fund to date. The meeting will equally discuss the NEPAD-IPPF Special Fund 2021 mid-year report.
The meeting will also celebrate the 15 years of the NEPAD-IPPF Report titled: "Unlocking Investments for Infrastructure Projects in Africa". A short film on the 15 years of the NEPAD- IPPF special fund will be shown on the morning of the second day of the OC meeting, and is viewable on the Fund’s YouTube channel: NEPAD-IPPF.
The discussions will focus on the progress of development of the NEPAD-IPPF Strategic Business Plan 2021-2025, the progress of development of the upcoming digital platform, as well as the upcoming new risk framework and project selection criteria for NEPAD-IPPF. It will also be an opportunity to update on key infrastructure continental initiatives such as: the second phase of the Program for Infrastructure Development in Africa (PIDA PAP 2), the PIDA Week, the Infrastructure Consortium for Africa, the G20 Internal Working Group, etc.
Expected outcomes
The following outcomes are expected:
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Unanimous adoption of the minutes of the 32nd OC meeting;
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Unanimous adoption of the agenda of the 33rd OC meeting;
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Clearance of the NEPAD-IPPF 2021 mid-year report by the OC;
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Successful launching of the NEPAD-IPPF 15 years’ report;
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Formulation of strategic directions and decisions with regard to the NEPAD-IPPF work program for the fourth quarter of the year, to the improvement plan and to the ongoing strategic initiatives: 2021-2025 Strategic Business Plan, Digital Platform, New risk screening framework and project selection criteria.
