The 16th Africa PPP Infrastructure Finance, Investment & Partnerships Summit was officially launched in Nairobi on November 12, 2026, gathering more than 400 delegates from 36 nations to focus on making infrastructure projects ready for private investment, with Kenya showcasing a pipeline of 60 public-private partnership projects valued at roughly KSh353 billion.
The three-day event runs from November 11 to 13 and is hosted by Kenya’s Public Private Partnerships Directorate, organised by AME Trade Limited and supported by the State Department for Public Investments and Asset Management, under the theme “Building Africa’s Prosperity: Transformative Infrastructure, Investment and Partnerships to Accelerate Economic Development.”
Kenya’s PPP programme includes ten projects already operational or under construction, among them the KSh183 billion Nairobi–Nakuru–Mau Summit Highway, while fifty additional projects are at various preparation stages; the government aims to attract at least KSh70 billion of new private investment this financial year after approving seven projects in the first quarter.
Across the continent, annual infrastructure needs are estimated between $130 billion (KSh17 trillion) and $170 billion (KSh22 trillion), creating a financing gap of $68 billion to $108 billion (KSh9 trillion to KSh14 trillion), despite domestic savings and assets exceeding $4 trillion (KSh520 trillion).
In his launch remarks, Cabinet Secretary for the National Treasury and Economic Planning, Hon. John Mbadi, represented by Hon. Lee Kinyanjui of the Ministry of Investments, Trade and Industry, urged African governments to measure progress by completed infrastructure and jobs created rather than by financing pledges, stating “The real test of infrastructure development is much simpler: When will the road be completed? When will the water flow? When will the electricity reach the factory? And when will the jobs be created?”
Principal Secretary Hon. Cyrell Wagunda of the State Department for Public Investments and Asset Management added that early investment in feasibility studies, technical assessments, environmental and social safeguards, land acquisition planning and risk allocation is essential to avoid delays in negotiations and implementation.
PPP Director General Eng. Kefa Seda called on participants to use the summit as a platform for practical knowledge-sharing, candid engagement and collective problem-solving.
Delegates will examine why pension funds, insurers, banks and other institutional investors remain under-represented in infrastructure financing and will discuss blended finance, domestic capital mobilisation, risk management and commercially sustainable models, supported by a project preparation masterclass, a dedicated deal room, a business breakfast and technical site visits.
This edition marks the second time Kenya has hosted the summit, the first being the third edition in 2011.
