Africa infrastructure execution gap
Analysis based on 7 articles · First reported Jul 21, 2026 · Last updated Jul 25, 2026
The execution gap may slow infrastructure development in Africa, limiting economic growth and investment returns. Companies involved in project management and infrastructure development could see increased demand for services, but the bottleneck in project preparation may delay capital deployment.
Experts from the Project Management Institute and Telfer School of Management highlight that Africa's infrastructure challenge is shifting from a funding gap to an execution gap. The African Development Bank estimates $400 billion annual financing needs, but many projects fail at early stages. South Africa converted only 42% of $91 billion in pledges into actual investment by March 2026. McKinsey notes 60-80% global FDI conversion rates. Tidjane Thiam argues global investors seek African exposure but lack bankable projects. The first phase of PIDA delivered 16,000 km of roads but faced preparation capacity constraints. PMI research projects a shortfall of 2.5 million project professionals globally by 2035.
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