Partnerships aid Africa's transport, energy plans

Africa's ambitious transport and energy plans under the African Union are gaining renewed momentum through international partnerships, particularly with China, officials say.

However, delivery of frameworks such as continental infrastructure plans has been lagging because of funding shortages, outdated systems and coordination challenges, they said.

Speaking at a side event during the Fifth Ordinary Session of the AU Specialized Technical Committee on Transport and Energy in Johannesburg last week, Lerato Mataboge, commissioner for infrastructure and energy at the African Union Commission, said the continent is increasingly prioritizing investments that can unlock stalled projects, particularly in energy systems.

"One of the biggest weaknesses is our transmission infrastructure and our ability to integrate energy systems," she said, noting that while many countries are expanding the generation capacity, the challenge lies in efficiently distributing that power.

Partnerships with China remain critical in addressing Africa's infrastructure financing gap, estimated at between $90 billion and $100 billion annually, she said. "China is our largest investor in infrastructure, and we want to continue leveraging partnerships with China and other development-oriented partners to close our energy gap."

Strengthening transmission networks is central to enabling industrial growth and ensuring that energy generated — particularly from renewable sources — can be effectively delivered across borders, Mataboge said.

Such cooperation helped move projects from planning to execution more quickly, particularly where financing and construction are bundled, though progress remains uneven across regions, she said.

African leaders are also rethinking how transport and energy systems are structured.

Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, South Africa's minister of electricity and energy, described the current global context as a strategic turning point, where infrastructure is no longer just developmental but a tool of economic power.

Africa's dual constraints — energy deficits affecting hundreds of millions of people and fragmented transport systems that raise trade costs — are mutually reinforcing and must be addressed through integrated planning, he said.

Rather than treating sectors separately, he called for aligning transport and energy systems into a unified economic platform capable of driving industrialization, urging a shift from policy frameworks to measurable outcomes such as megawatts added, operational corridors and jobs created.

Update needed

Meanwhile, structural challenges continue to slow implementation on the ground. Rod Rembendambya, high commissioner of Gabon to South Africa, said much of Africa's infrastructure remains outdated, with systems in some countries dating back decades. "We need to update everything," he said.

The African Union has adopted long-term infrastructure strategies, but implementation continues to depend heavily on external financing, policy coordination and technical capacity.

While partnerships with China and other global players are helping unlock progress, analysts said addressing internal bottlenecks will be critical to sustaining momentum.

Ndumiso Mlilo in South Africa contributed to this story.