Infrastructure is the lifeblood of any economy. Challenges, however, abound in terms of the quality, sustainability and resilience of much of this infrastructure.
Sustainable infrastructure is infrastructure that delivers long-term economic, social, and environmental benefits. It is critical to achieving global climate targets and the UN sustainable development goals, and to a strong and resilient global economy.
Despite commendable infrastructure development in Kenya, it is still nothing to brag about. The infrastructure is barely able to withstand the vagaries of climate change such as flooding, with some being washed away and others requiring huge investment in maintenance or even total overhaul before their 10th anniversary after commissioning. As countries and cities grow, the growth also significantly upsets the social, economic and environmental balance.
As an example, the UN has highlighted that 70 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions come from urban areas, most of which are poorly designed, lacking in public transport and consume vast amounts of energy. Quite absurd!
There is a growing need to transform how infrastructure is planned, delivered and managed as urbanisation and climate change increasingly impact Kenya and the world at large. Long-term infrastructure plans are key to developing sustainable infrastructure.
These plans speak to project bankability and attract investors, who need an assurance that their investments will be aligned with long-term government priorities to reduce risks associated with market uncertainty and stranded assets.
In the words of Jérôme Jean Haegeli, Group Chief Economist, Swiss Re and Co-Chair of the Global Infrastructure Facility (GIF) Advisory Council, “Investments in sustainable infrastructure are a 'win-win' for economies: they help increase productive capacity and lift economic growth rates, while strengthening a country's resilience to withstand and even combat future climate risks."
Lifelines, a report by the World Bank and the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery, shows that the net benefit of building more resilient infrastructure in low- and middle-income countries would be $4.2 trillion with $4 in benefit for each $1 invested.
Sustainable infrastructure presents a tremendous opportunity for positive change.
The writer is an Advocate of the High Court of Kenya.
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