South Africa on Wednesday unveiled its National Infrastructure Plan (NIP) 2050, which aims to increase in infrastructure, energy and broadband access.
The government has aligned its National Development Plan (NDP) 2030 with the NIP 2050, Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, head of the Investment and Infrastructure Office at the Presidency, told a press conference in Pretoria.
He said the NDP, which was announced in 2013, will cost 6.2 trillion rand (41.3 billion U.S. dollars) between 2016 and 2040, with transport and energy accounting for over 72 percent of the investment required.
“In a context of constrained public finances, the funding gap will have to be filled by new sources of funding, including new instruments that access domestic and foreign private sector capital, and global development funding,” Ramokgopa said.
Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure Patricia de Lille said the government is implementing the plan.
“There has been good performance in digital infrastructure rollout over the past decade,” she said. “By 2019, 93 percent of the population was covered with 4G/LTE, up from 53 percent in 2015. Over 85 percent of the population live within 10 km of a fiber access point.”
“This coverage bodes well for NIP 2050 efforts to improve digital access for low-income communities,” de Lille said.
On March 24, South Africa will hold a conference to attract investment in the country’s energy, agro-processing, mining, information technology, and infrastructure sectors. Enditem
