Staff Writer
The African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD) and the African Union Commission (AUC), in collaboration with the Angolan government, will host Africa’s biggest infrastructure financing summit from 28 to 31 October 2025 in Luanda.
The event follows the momentum of previous gatherings, including the 2023 Dakar Infrastructure Financing Summit.
It forms part of a continental effort to unlock investments and partnerships in support of the African Union’s Agenda 2063 infrastructure goals under the Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa (PIDA).
The summit comes at a time when Africa faces an annual infrastructure financing gap of more than US$100 billion and is working to mobilise the US$1.3 trillion needed to implement the Continental Power Systems Master Plan for a single African electricity market by 2040.
PIDA alone requires US$16 billion annually to deliver cross-border projects that support industrialisation, trade, and energy ambitions by 2030.
As chairman of the African Union, Angolan President João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço has placed infrastructure financing at the centre of his agenda.
The summit will showcase strategic corridors like the Lobito Corridor, LAPSSET, and the Dakar–Bamako–Djibouti route as models that integrate infrastructure, trade, and industrial growth.
A central focus will be universal energy access. Through PIDA Energy Projects, the African Single Electricity Market, and the Continental Power Systems Master Plan, the summit will examine financing initiatives to close electricity gaps affecting more than 600 million Africans.
The summit will also explore digital infrastructure, fintech, and artificial intelligence as tools to improve planning, service delivery, and financial inclusion.
Water security and infrastructure will be discussed, with attention to sustainable financing for cross-border water management and climate adaptation.
Mobilising domestic capital will also be a priority. Africa’s pension and sovereign wealth funds provide more than US$70 billion annually, and the summit will explore public-private cooperation models to unlock these resources.
New financing tools such as blended finance, project bonds, and risk mitigation mechanisms will also be considered.
The Luanda summit will serve as a platform feeding into global dialogues and reaffirm Africa’s role in proposing solutions that work for the continent and beyond.
It will also push for fair access to climate finance and showcase investment-ready green projects across transport, energy, digital, and water sectors.
Caption
Luanda will host an infrastructure summit next month.
