Lack of political will is slowing down implementation of vital regional infrastructure projects in Africa, the president of the African Development Bank has said.

African Heads of State on Monday endorsed the launch of the Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa (PIDA), a multi-billion dollar initiative that will run through 2040.

In a statement at their 18th summit held in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, the Heads of State approved the implementation of the recommendations in the study on PIDA presented to the summit.

The Sustainable Energy Fund for Africa (SEFA) approved a US $265,000 grant to the Infrastructure Consortium for Africa (ICA) and United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) partnership for the development of the Atlas of Africa’s Energy Resources. The grant will be funded through the “enabling environment” window of this AfDB-administered multi-donor facility mandated to unlock investments in clean energy in the continent.

The Board of Directors of the African Development Bank Group on Wednesday, October 15 in Abidjan approved a US $40-million 10-year Line of Credit (LoC) for a pipeline of projects covering various economic sectors (agro/food, infrastructure, manufacturing, education sectors) in the East African Community (EAC) countries of Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda. The projects aim to promote economic growth.

The African Development Bank (AfDB) and the World Customs Organization (WCO) will work together to enhance the capacity of customs administrations in Africa.