The Director-General of the Infrastructure Concession and Regulatory Commission (ICRC), Dr Jobson Ewalefoh has reiterated the importance of focusing on citizen welfare in Public-Private Partnership (PPP) projects in Nigeria.

He said success of infrastructure deals should not be measured on how tight the contracts are but by tangible outcomes.

This was stated in a statement by Dr Ewalefoh on his official X handle, based on his over 20 years of experience working in the PPP sector as well as having worked on over 100 concession deals.

Citizen welfare

“The bottom line is that we need to create quality living conditions for our beneficiaries through PPPs. Having worked on multiple deals over the years and being in the PPP space for over 20 years, I have come to realise one thing: The real bottom line is not about how tight the contracts are, but how much quality of living we create for the people these deals are intended for,” he said.

He also noted that infrastructure planning and delivery must be focused on citizens. While administrations, investors and officials may change, the citizens who rely on public infrastructure will always be there.

“I really believe that having a heart for the people must be at the centre of every sustainable PPP. Every PPP has policies created by administrations, governments change, investors earn their profits and move on, officials you talk to won’t always be there...BUT THE PEOPLE that the infrastructure is built for will always be there!” he said.

Value to citizens

Dr Ewalefoh said the key beneficiaries of PPP projects include passengers using airports, families receiving better health care, businesses transporting goods using better transport infrastructure and communities receiving electricity, water, jobs and opportunities.

He also highlighted that even if a project is viable, if it does not create value to citizens then it will not meet public expectations.

“You might have a viable project but if it doesn’t create value to the public then it will fail. However, if you have a well structured PPP that creates value for everyone, including the commercial, government and citizens then that PPP will be truly sustainable,” he said.

Nigeria’s PPP framework is evolving

Reflecting on his first two years as Director-General of the ICRC, Dr Ewalefoh said that Nigeria’s PPP framework is evolving with better project preparation, strong institutional capacity and more confidence for private investment.

“This really shapes my thinking around my career but also around what I’ve been doing in my role as DG over the past 2 years. Nigeria’s PPP journey is evolving. We’re creating better frameworks, better project preparation, better institutional capacity and more confidence for private investment,” he said.

The ICRC acts as the regulatory body within the Federal Government for PPP projects.

Long term accountability

However, he highlighted that it is important to keep in mind why infrastructure is being developed.

“But more importantly, never forget why we’re doing infrastructure in the first place: PEOPLE!”

Dr Ewalefoh said that ultimately, infrastructure will be judged based on whether it provided the benefits it promised to the public.

“In years to come, when the agreements have been filed away and we’ve forgotten who negotiated them, the people will remember if the infrastructure actually worked, if it made their lives better and if it provided value,” he said.

Ultimately, sustainable PPP deals must ensure that while there are benefits to private investment there are also long term benefits to citizens.

“This is ultimately what really matters. We must create infrastructure that provides investment, deal structures that provide sustainability but ultimately deliver for the people,” Dr Ewalefoh said.

Source: thisdaylive.com

Kindly follow via our WhatsApp channel: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VbDjAJCBVJlDAwVqqR1v