Africa’s infrastructure deficit is reducing GDP growth by up to 2% annually, leading to productivity losses of as much as 40%, and increasing transport costs to levels as high as 175% above global averages. Meanwhile, 600 million people remain without electricity, and nearly 1 billion lack access to clean cooking solutions.
Despite these constraints, African ministers have moved to accelerate implementation, endorsing a package of policy frameworks and investment priorities aimed at closing critical gaps in transport and energy systems.
The Fifth Ordinary Session of the African Union’s (AU) Specialized Technical Committee on Transport and Energy (STC-TT&E), held in Johannesburg from April 27 to 30, brought together policymakers and technical experts to advance flagship continental initiatives, including the Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa (PIDA), the Single African Air Transport Market, and the African Single Electricity Market. These programmes are positioned as central to unlocking intra-African trade under the AfCFTA and reducing structural bottlenecks in logistics and power supply.
At the session, ministers approved key continental instruments, including studies on aviation infrastructure, railway expansion, and port modernization, as well as frameworks promoting “green ports” and digitalization across logistics systems. The meeting also adopted the African E-Mobility Framework and a Pan-African Action Plan for Active Mobility, signalling a shift toward “sustainable transport systems” aligned with climate and urbanization pressures.
On the energy front, ministers reviewed progress on the African Energy Transition Strategy and Action Plan, reasserting their commitment to expanding access while balancing industrial growth with sustainability. They further noted the operationalization of governance instruments such as the Revised African Maritime Transport Charter and the African Road Safety Charter, strengthening regulatory alignment across member states.
AU Commissioner for Infrastructure and Energy, Lorato Mataboge, described the challenge as “not resource scarcity, but structural dependence,” noting that Africa’s vast reserves of energy and raw materials remain constrained by weak infrastructure networks. She characterized the Committee as the continent’s “principal ministerial decision-making organ,” tasked with ensuring “coherence, alignment, and decisive action” in infrastructure delivery.
Ministers underscored the need to scale infrastructure investment to at least 4.5% of GDP, alongside stronger mobilization of private capital and blended financing mechanisms. Discussions emphasized “implementation at scale,” with a focus on integrated transport corridors, energy connectivity, and “local beneficiation” to reduce reliance on raw commodity exports.
South Africa’s Minister of Electricity and Energy, Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, described the current global environment as a “strategic inflection point,” stressing that transport and energy systems must be treated as a unified economic platform to address Africa’s dual constraints of energy deficits and fragmented logistics networks.
The Committee also reviewed progress on major continental projects, including the African Integrated Railway Network and large-scale energy initiatives such as the Grand Inga Hydropower Project, while calling for “integrated planning” and measurable outputs in power generation, transport efficiency, and job creation.
