PUBLIC-PRIVATE-PARTNERSHIP, SOLE DRIVER OF INFRASTRUCTURAL DEVELOPMENT.... Says Bello Mohammed Goronyo

"Since the nation's budget cannot fund these projects, there is a necessity for PPP as a feasible option." Goronyo Esq.

The Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC), on tuesday hosted the 2025 Nigeria Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Summit, with the theme; "Role of Public-Private Partnerships in Delivering the Renewed Hope Agenda".

The Summit, which held on June 17 and 18 at the State House Banquet Hall and Congress Hall, Transcorp Hilton in Abuja, Nigeria, also explored how collaborative efforts between the public and private sectors can drive transformative change.

The aim of the Summit was to assemble policymakers, investors, and industry leaders to engage in insightful discussions about the evolving landscape of infrastructure in Nigeria and its global implications. 

The Federal Ministry of Works, which is a major stakeholder in this initiative, was represented at the event by its Minister of State, Barrister Bello Mohammed Goronyo, who presented to the Summit, the perspective of his ministry on Highway Development and Management Initiative (HDMI) and various concessions under PPP arrangements like the 227.2km Akwanga-Lafiya -Keffi highway and the recently signed 127km Benin-Asaba expressway.

Barrister Goronyo actively participated in and impacted on the panel discussion, where he emphasised the commitment of the administration of President Ahmed Bola Tinubu to fix Nigeria's infrastructural deficit. He revealed that Nigeria has over 200,000km of roads, 35,000km of which are of Federal. He told the Summit that the current government inherited over 2,600projects, with a total worth of about 19 trillion. 

He explained that since the nation's budget cannot fund these projects, there is a necessity for PPP as a feasible option.

The Minister pointed to the need for concessionaires to be open and transparent in their agreement because, "we cannot in the name of PPP, mortgage our country by signing agreements that tend to favour concessionaires."

Barrister Goronyo expressed appreciation for President Tinubu for recognising infrastructure as key driver of economic growth and development.