Multinational - Capacity building for gender & infrastructure statistics in transition states

The present project is a logical continuation of the Bank’s initiative to develop infrastructure statistics through its Africa Infrastructure Knowledge Program (AIKP). The countries included in the project were specifically targeted to bring them at par with their ADF counterparts in terms of the availability and quality of their infrastructure statistics. In its execution, the project will leverage the existing long-term collaboration between COMESA and the Bank. The Transition States targeted by the project are characterized by quasi-inexistent or poor infrastructure services such as power shortages, limited transportation facilities, inadequate water supply, and poor telecommunications, which in turn stifle economic activities and restrict growth opportunities. Some of these countries have experienced prolonged periods of conflict, which have devastated their infrastructure and social services and exacerbated their fragility situation. The project helps to fill the information gap on the targeted Transition Sates infrastructure deficit by helping to determine the scale of the deficit and its funding needs through: (i) strengthening of the capacities of NSOs and infrastructure line ministries via training workshops designed to promote the use of best practices in the generation of infrastructure statistics; (ii) improvement of knowledge base on power and transportation infrastructure services through the development of an infrastructure information system for an efficient infrastructure data collection, validation and dissemination; and the development of power and transport investment needs models; (iii) identification of infrastructure gender gaps through reliable and sound gender-sensitive infrastructure statistics generation; and (iv) generation of knowledge reports.