Preparing a pipeline of bankable sustainable infrastructure projects is vital, participants of the Program for Infrastructure Development in Africa (PIDA) Week heard as it opened this week in Swakapomund, Namibia.
This, according to high-level speakers from the African Union Commission, the NEPAD Agency, the African Development Bank and the Southern African Development Community (SADC), is key to closing the infrastructure gap and creating jobs in the continent.
In his official opening address, Namibia’s Minister of Works and Transport, Alpheus GNaruseb, called for strong coordination in the implementation of PIDA and the preparation of bankable, investment-ready projects that can attract financing for implementation.
The Director for Infrastructure and Energy at the African Union Commission, Cheikh Bedda, said that policy makers, infrastructure experts and the private sector have a crucial role to play in training and skills acquisition in infrastructure development to prepare young Africans for the implementation of complex programmes such as PIDA.
Co-organized by the African Union Commission, the NEPAD Agency and African Development Bank, Africa’s premier infrastructure meeting, the 2017 PIDA Week is ongoing in Swakopmund, Namibia on the theme “Regional Infrastructure Development for Job Creation and Economic Transformation”.
At the PIDA Week, the NEPAD Agency also launched its pioneering 2017 PIDA Progress Report, which is the outcome of collaboration between all PIDA stakeholders who shared information on projects and interventions on the ground and on progress made during the year.
After two successive record-breaking years, 2017 PIDA Week is shaping up to be the hottest ever registered, welcoming more than 300 leading thinkers from international institutions, government, academia, business and finance, engaged in ground breaking debate on the opportunities and the challenges of investing in infrastructure in Africa.

On November 28th 2017, a 21-person South Korean business delegation from INNOBIZ Association which was holding an official visit in Ethiopia visited EKOS Steel Mill PLC which is a Korean steel manufacturing company. EKOS is one of the Korean investors who successfully built their factory around Dukem area. The company will be producing high quality import replacing reinforcement bars and wire rods starting from February 2018 according to CEO of the company Shell H. Choo. The Korean delegation had an opportunity to hear about the success story of fellow Korean company during the business-to-business discussion. The CEO advised the Korean business delegation about the investment process and the various promising areas for investment. The Korean business delegation also had time to get insight from another Korean Company EJIAN Logistics, about the logistics procedures in Ethiopia and learned about Ethiopia’s dry ports and Ethiopian Shipping and Logistics Services Enterprise (ESLSE).

The first ever ACCA (the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) Africa Members’ Convention was held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 6-8 December. The three-day event’s theme centered on: “The impact of socio-economic trends on the future of finance and business in Africa”.
The inaugural event saw significant and relevant issues facing the accountancy profession being discussed. Several influential and renowned finance and business leaders from across the continent were in attendance, including; Ambassador Mumba S. Kapumpa (Corporate Governance Expert, Zambia), Prof. Nii Quaynor, the father of the internet in Africa, Dr. Nigel Chanakira, Chairman Success Motivation Institute, Walter Muwandi, CEO CCG Systems, South Africa, Daniel Asapokhai, Executive Secretary, CEO of the Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria, Prof. Patrick Lumumba and South African public speaker – Vusi Thembekwayo amongst many others.
The ACCA President, Leo Lee and other council members were in attendance along with over 750 ACCA members from 31 countries. The highlight of the 3-day conference was the unveiling of the Member Wall to commemorate ACCA reaching a milestone of 200,000 members worldwide.
The ACCA Africa Members’ Convention addressed critical issues on the future role and relevance of the professional accountant in Africa, the impact of the shifting paradigms of social expectations and the economic focus supported by rapid digital transformation. Some of the topics discussed at the convention included: Innovation and the role of the accountant in the fourth industrial revolution, Ethics in a digital world; Managing and navigating the new economy; and the future of the profession: opportunities across Africa.

Samaritan Surgical Center, which will be inaugurated on Saturday, December 16 2017, is a state of the art facility that incorporates the latest surgery facilities, pre- and post-surgery rooms, a diagnostic center and renowned surgeons. The new medical facility will focus on providing sustainable, high-quality surgical care to patients.
The center is connected to the American Medical Center, which currently does not offer surgical services. The first surgical specialty center of its kind in Ethiopia has been established by four founders; Dr. Akeza Teame, Melat Abate, Afework Asgedom, and Frewoyni Alem with an investment capital of 148
million ETB. The opening of the center is expected to create more convenience and an exceptional flow of services for patients at both institutions.
Explaining their intent in opening the center, co-founder Dr. Akeza Teame says, “My wife Melat, and I had formal and informal discussions with outpatients and their families regularly, which gave us a deeper understanding of the concern and anxiety most families have regarding the shortage of adequately staffed and equipped modern healthcare facilities.
Additional information we learned from these heart-to-heart discussions included people’s willingness to pay for quality medical care. Right then, we made a commitment that we will continue to build better healthcare facilities that have international accreditation, one healthcare facility at a time, until such facilities are built in every major city of Ethiopia”.
Surgical services such as arthroscopic total hip replacement (insertion of artificial hip) and arthroscopic knee surgeries – which used to be done by foreigners on medical missions – will be procedures that will be done routinely at Samaritan Surgical Center from now on. The center also boasts the latest diagnostic software and CT scan machine, a centralized oxygen supply system, and an eight-bed intensive care unit which will help eliminate the need to transfer critically ill patients to other facilities.