The urgency is clear. The African Development Bank puts Africa’s annual infrastructure financing gap at roughly US$130 billion to US$170 billion, with nearly a third of that shortfall concentrated in southern Africa, underscoring the scale of what needs to be done.
Regionally, infrastructure is already beginning to reshape economies: efforts such as modernizing the Beitbridge Border Post, constructing the Kazungula Bridge, and upgrading power links under the Southern African Power Pool (SAPP) are improving trade routes, enhancing power supply links, and lowering transport costs.
According to Forum organizers, the upcoming gathering will focus on four main priorities: creating financing mechanisms for viable regional projects; advancing public-private partnerships to accelerate delivery; driving forward energy, water, transport and ICT infrastructure; and planting the seeds of climate-resilient, “green” development.
“Infrastructure is the backbone of Africa’s economic transformation,” said Liz Hart, managing director of the Forum. She added that if southern Africa can harness its infrastructure potential, it could emerge as a hub of industrial activity, trade and investment.
As urban populations across Africa are expected to double by 2050, the need for quality, resilient infrastructure will only grow, making forums like this not just relevant, but essential, for building the foundation of long-term regional growth.
For investors, developers and policymakers, the 2026 Infrastructure Africa Business Forum offers a rare chance to align capital, ambition and strategy to shape the next chapter of southern Africa’s economic rise.
