Raila meets 3 Presidents for talks on Africa infrastructure projects

African Union High Representative for Infrastructure Development Raila Odinga on Tuesday completed a three-nation tour of Africa to discuss the continent’s infrastructure agenda.

The tour, which began on Saturday, saw Mr. Odinga meet President Felix Tshisekedi of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Niger President Mahamadou Issoufou and President Nana Akufo-Addo of Ghana ahead of the AU Special Summit scheduled for July 2019 in Niger.

Mr. Odinga met the DRC President on Saturday for talks on the Kinsasha-Brazaville bridge component of the Tripoli-Cape Town Trans-Africa Highway.

“The two leaders also discussed progress on construction of the Inga dam on River Congo which, if actualized, would be the largest energy infrastructure project in Africa,” said Odinga’s spokesperson Dennis Onyango in a statement issued on Tuesday.

The former prime minister then proceeded to Niamey, Niger, for talks with the country’s President Issoufou who is the champion of the African Continental Free Trade Area agreement signed in 2018. The agreement is set to come in to force with 50 African states having ratified it.

“He updated the Niger president on the Trans-African Highways program and the overall infrastructure agenda including railways and open skies and their importance in the overall continental trade agenda,” added the statement.

The two leaders agreed on the need for side meetings dedicated to infrastructure during the AU Special Summit to be held in Niger in July.

He wound up his tour with a meeting with President Nana Akufo-Addo of Ghana in Accra and briefed him on the infrastructure agenda and appealed for his support.