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• Transnational Corporations and the
  Infrastructure Challenge in Africa
• Session 37
• Achieving the Millennium Development Goals in
  Africa
• Should Service Linkages Be Expanded?
• 17 September 2010

Kalman Kalotay UNCTAD Investment Policies Branch
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Why investment in infrastructure is important
in all countries

• Efficient infrastructure services are crucial for
  competitiveness and economic growth in all
  countries, rich and poor
• Good quality infrastructure is essential for
  international trade and integration into the
  world economy
• Access to affordable infrastructure services,
  such as electricity and drinking water, is an
  important determinant of living standards
• The development of infrastructure helps to
  eliminate poverty and attain the UN Millennium
  Development Goals
• Low-income countries (in Africa and partly in
  Asia) have huge infrastructure investment needs
  but lack the necessary capacity domestically to
  meet them

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Share of foreign investors in infrastructure
industries of developing and transition economies
varies quite important in AfricaCommitments in
19962006,
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Regional composition of investment commitments in
infrastructure in developing economiesA shift
away from Latin America and the Caribbean Africa
rising from a low level
Source UNCTAD, World Investment Report 2008,
Transnational Corporations and the Infrastructure
Challenge.
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Least developed countries are still marginalized
in FDI in infrastructure

• Least developed countries (LDCs) attract little
  investment from infrastructure TNCs
• LDCs had less than 1 of world FDI stocks in
  infrastructure in 2006
• only 5 of world FDI inflows in infrastructure
  in 2006
• and 5 of the total foreign commitments in
  infrastructure in developing and transition
  economies over the period 1996-2006.
• Reasons
• TNCs require sufficient returns on their
  investments
• Commercial and non-commercial risks
• Small local markets (investment in infrastructure
  is normally market orientated)
• Competition with other (developing) economies

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The universe of infrastructure TNCs is changing

• Increasing number of private and state-owned TNCs
• Important role for TNCs from the South
• Especially in ports and telecommunications
• Significant in LDCs
• Sometimes investment in infrastructure and
  extractive industries is complementary
• Rise of new financiers in infrastructure
  industries
• Private equity firms
• Sovereign wealth funds

Chinese and Indian investments in infrastructure
in Africa, up to April 2008
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Leveraging TNC participationPolicy challenges
and options

• Creating strong, transparent and accountable
  institutional and regulatory frameworks
• Sequencing of reform
• Assessing options and negotiating with TNCs
• Building necessary capabilities to deal with
  public-private partnerships
• Involving TNCs in infrastructure places more,
  rather than less, responsibility on public
  officials.

• ODA to infrastructure
• Better use of available funds
• Readiness to take risk
• More capacity-building
• Evaluating options
• Negotiations with TNCs
• Role for the UN?
• Risk-mitigation targeted to low-income countries
• Support to regional projects
• Keep all options open

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Source of more information
Visit UNCTAD websites www.unctad.org/diae and
www.unctad.org/wir www.unctad.org/fdistatistics