African Infrastructure Projects Fail Due to Execution Gap

George Asamani and Lavagnon Ika report that nearly 80 percent of Africa's infrastructure projects fail during the planning and feasibility stages. Despite the African Development Bank identifying an annual requirement of US$400 billion for infrastructure, fewer than 10 percent of projects reach financial close. This failure stems from an "execution gap" where governments struggle to translate secured capital into bankable, execution-ready projects.

Data from South Africa illustrates this disconnect, as only US$38.6 billion of more than US$91 billion in investment pledges secured since 2018 had entered the economy by March 2026. Tidjane Thiam noted that while global investors seek African exposure, they remain limited by a lack of these bankable opportunities.

Experts warn that this crisis is exacerbated by a projected global shortage of 2.5 million project professionals by 2035. Asamani and Ika urge governments to prioritize investment in professional project management education and capacity building to ensure infrastructure ambitions result in actual implementation.