Nigeria can achieve socio-economic transformation through implementing a National Infrastructure Masterplan from a regional perspective across the geo-political zones in the country. Mr. Femi Awofala, the CEO and Founder of Brickstone Africa made this point while giving his views on “Leveraging PPPs to Transform Nigeria’s Infrastructure Landscape.”

According to him, States and Regions should be at the forefront of implementing the infrastructure master plan to boost competitiveness.

He acknowledged the current National Infrastructure Masterplan (NIMP) but believed it was time to cascade it to the level that will unlock socio-economic opportunities at the Sub-National level.

He said the NIMP would develop the six (6) geo-political zones and attract significant funding for projects covering power, highways, rail, bridges and broadband Internet through PPPs.

“The South-South can leverage its oil and gas potentials, while the North-East could tap into the huge deposits of solid minerals and opportunities for renewable energy.”

He called for strengthening the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC) framework and the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE). In capacity building, he noted that Brickstone Africa was planning to equip 1,000 ‘Entrepreneurs’ with the requisite skills to implement significant infrastructure projects.

He added, “Apart from the US$100bn annual funding required to address Nigeria and Africa’s infrastructure’s deficit, there is a need for capacity and skills to execute the projects and create value for the country and region.”

In the build-up to the 2023 general elections,  he called on prospective political office holders at the federal and state levels to explore long-term funding for infrastructure projects.

Nigeria currently has a National Infrastructure Masterplan designed to provide a roadmap for addressing the nation’s deficit in infrastructure.

WATCH VIDEO