Carolina Dominguez-Torres

Cameroon's infrastructure : a continental perspective

The poor state of Cameroons infrastructure is a key bottleneck to the nations economic growth. From 2000 to 2005, improvements in information and communications technology (ICT) boosted Cameroons growth performance by 1.26 percentage points per capita, while deficient power infrastructure held growth back by 0.28 points per capita. If Cameroon could improve its infrastructure to the level of Africas middle-income countries, it could raise its per capita economic growth rate by about 3.3 percentage points. Cameroon has made significant progress in many aspects of infrastructure, implementing institutional reforms across a broad range of sectors with a view to attracting private-sector participation and finance, which has generally led to performance improvements. But the country still faces a number of important infrastructure challenges, including poor road quality, expensive and unreliable electricity, and a stagnating and uncompetitive ICT sector. Cameroon currently spends around

Benin's Infrastructure: A Continental Perspective

930 million per year on infrastructure, with

Mozambique's infrastructure : a continental perspective

586 million lost to inefficiencies. Removing those inefficiencies would leave an infrastructure funding gap of

The Central African Republic's infrastructure: a continental perspective

350 million per year. Given Cameroons relatively strong economy and natural-resource base, as well as its success in attracting private financing, the country should be able to close that gap and meet its infrastructure goals within 13 years.

Burkina Faso's Infrastructure: A Continental Perspective

Between 2000 and 2005 infrastructure made an important contribution of 1.6 percentage points to Benins improved per capita growth performance, which was the highest among West African countries during the period. Raising the countrys infrastructure endowment to that of the regions middle-income countries could boost annual growth by about 3.2 percentage points. Benin has made significant progress in some areas of its infrastructure, including roads, air transport, water, and telecommunications. But the country still faces important infrastructure challenges, including improving road conditions and port performance and upgrading deteriorating electrical infrastructure. The nation must also improve the quality and efficiency of its water and sanitation systems. Benin currently spends about

Niger's Infrastructure: A Continental Perspective

452 million a year on infrastructure, with almost

Cameroon's Infrastructure

101 million lost to inefficiencies. Comparing spending needs with existing spending and potential efficiency gains leaves an annual funding gap of

The Central African Republic's Infrastructure

210 million per year. Benin has the potential to close that gap by adopting alternative technologies in water supply, transport, and power, which could save as much as

Benin's Infrastructure

227 million a year. The nation would also benefit from raising tariffs to cost-recovery levels and reducing inefficiencies, which could substantially boost financial flows to the infrastructure sectors.

Mozambique's Infrastructue

In the last 10 years, Mozambiques economy has grown steadily at an impressive rate of 7.7 percent per year, driven by the service sector, light industry, and agriculture. This pace is expected to continue or even increase with the massive influx of already-planned investment on the order of