PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS AND INFRASTRUCTURE FINANCING IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA: DETERMINANTS, PERFORMANCE AND FINANCIAL VIABILITY

Sub-Saharan Africa faces a stark infrastructure gap. Every year, the continents actual needs and available financing diverge by an estimated USD 68 to 108 billion - a shortfall that translates into roads not built, households without power, and millions of people lacking access to safe water. Against this backdrop,and given the severe fiscal constraints weighing on African governments, public-private partnerships (PPPs) have been promoted since the 1990s as the primary vehicle for mobilizing private capital into infrastructure.With over 1,500 registered projects representing several hundred billion dollars in cumulative investment, the headline figures look impressive. Yet the reality is more sobering: roughly 30% of African PPPs have experienced significant difficulties or outright failures, revealing that the PPP model is neither straightforward nor automatically beneficial. This article offers a systematic, comparative analysis of the factors that determine PPP success or failure in Sub-Saharan Africa.