Stakeholders Advocate Inclusive PPPs to Tackle Infrastructure Gaps

OluchiChibuzor

Considering the role of sustainable infrastructure globally, American Society of Civil Engineers, Nigeria International Section (ASCE) and stakeholders have advocated inclusive public private partnerships (PPPs) to tackle infrastructural gaps in the country.

ThAT was disclosed at the 2025 sustainable infrastructure conference organised by ASCE in Lagos, recently.

Speaking at the event, President, ASCE Nigeria Section, Austin Odibi, said they were especially proud to host the event at a time when the call for sustainable, inclusive, and integrated infrastructure systems had never been more urgent.

On the theme for the event, “Integrated Approaches to Sustainable Infrastructure, Planning and Delivery,” Odibi said as civil engineers, they were duty-bound to lead the conversation and the action required to deliver lasting solutions for communities.

According to him, “This conference is not just a meeting, it is a mission. It is an opportunity to chart a path forward that emphasises collaboration, innovation, and resilience.

“Together, let us explore how integrated approaches can transform infrastructure delivery in Nigeria and align our efforts with global best practices.”

2025 President, American Society of Civil Engineers, Dr. Feniosky Pena-Mora, said, “This conference provides a platform to share knowledge, foster collaboration, and explore practical strategies that can bridge the gap from theory to implementation, from aspirational frameworks to impactful outcomes.

“Roads, bridges, energy grids, water systems, and buildings must be planned, not only as individual projects but as interconnected components of broader social, environmental, and economic systems.

“So, sustainability, resilience, and cost-effectiveness are not competing priorities. They are interdependent goals. And integrated thinking across sectors, disciplines, and stakeholders is the key to achieving them together.”

Feniosky added, “It is our collective mission as civil engineers to protect public health, safety, and welfare.

“That mission grows more complex in a world where extreme weather events, population shifts, and supply chain disruptions are increasingly the norm. It demands not only technical expertise but also ethical clarity, community engagement, and systems-level leadership.”

CEO of ICRC, Dr. Jobson Ewalefoh, in his keynote address, said across the world fragmented approaches to infrastructure were no longer viable.

According to him, “Around the world, and indeed across Africa, there is a pressing realisation that fragmented, short-term approaches to infrastructure delivery are no longer viable. We are in an era where sustainable development is not a luxury, but a necessity.

“The call for integration speaks not only to the coordination of sectors, but also to the harmonisation of ideas, policies, financing strategies, environmental imperatives, and the realities of our local contexts.”

For Nigeria and many developing economies, Ewalefoh said infrastructure remained the backbone of economic transformation.

However, he stressed that the gaps were wide and required an urgent and integrated approach to bridge them.

Particularly, infrastructure in some key sectors such as energy, transport, agriculture, water, mining, housing, health care, education, had remained largely underdeveloped over the years, Ewalefoh stated.

He said, “To bridge this financing gap, Nigeria, like many other nations, has embraced Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) as a pragmatic alternative procurement model for public infrastructure and service delivery.

“However, these PPPs must be more than just financing instruments – in addition, they must become platforms for sustainable national development.

“This led the Federal Government of Nigeria, through the Ministry of Budget and National Planning, to collaborate with key stakeholders and develop the National Integrated Infrastructure Master Plan (NIIMP) in 2013, a 30-year ambitious programme to raise Nigeria’s infrastructure stock to GDP to the global benchmark of 70 percent from less than 25 percent, with a capital requirement of $3 trillion.

“This masterplan was revised in 2020 to 23 years, with a capital requirement of $2.3 trillion. Both were benchmarked to end in 2043, and a review shows that the NIIMP translates to an annual average requirement of $100 billion over the projected period.

“Clearly, our current budgetary allocations are insufficient to meet this demand.”