On the 13th and 14th of April 2022, the African Union Permanent Mission to China and Development Reimagined organized a Special Dialogue on “Coordinating on Regional Infrastructure Projects under the African Union’s Program for Infrastructure Development for Africa (PIDA)”.
The two-day hybrid event saw over 140 stakeholders attend, some in-person at the AU Embassy in Beijing and others virtually. Participants in attendance included African Ambassadors to China, the African Union and its development agency NEPAD and African Regional banks alongside Chinese stakeholders such as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the China-Africa Business Council and Chinese State-Owned and Private Enterprises as well as international stakeholders, including the United Nation in China.
The dialogue created a space for all stakeholders to discuss the regional infrastructure projects open to financing under the African Union’s PIDA. Through this discussion, African stakeholders articulated the importance of PIDA projects to the continent’s development and Agenda 2063, as well as which projects still require financial support, and the different opportunities – and challenges – that PIDA projects face.
Over the two days, stakeholders asked questions and brainstormed how to overcome any challenges or concerns that had been raised. Overall, the event helped build upon the progress of the Belt and Road Initiative and the commitments made at FOCAC 2021 including the commitment to establish 10 connectivity assistance projects across the continent, alongside the inclusion of enhancing China-Africa cooperation under the AU’s Program Infrastructure Development for Africa (PIDA).
Development Reimagined thanks all participants for joining the discussion and we thoroughly look forward to future collaboration to coordinate with PIDA further and ultimately support poverty reduction efforts in African countries through partnerships and “win-win” cooperation.
May 2022
