Sadc awaits $500 billion infrastructure plan
A Southern Africa Development Community (Sadc) Regional Infrastructure Master Plan (RIMP) has been finalised. It will be presented to the sub-region’s heads of State for official sanction at an upcoming summit scheduled for Maputo, Mozambique in August.
The plan could involve cross-border projects with a combined investment value of up to $500 billion. It proposes the development of regional power, transport, water, communications, tourism and metrology infrastructure over a 15-year period, from 2012 to 2027.
The RIMP has been broken down into its respective subcomponents, with deployment expected to be pursued over three five-year intervals, with the first implementation period having been outlined for 2012 to 2017.
Sadc deputy executive secretary for regional integration João Caholo says the master plan is the product of ‘deep’ stakeholder consultation and will be presented to regional infrastructure ministers in Luanda, Angola, next week and then to a gathering, in the same city, of the bloc’s finance ministers in July.
