Small ventures big on hope across Africa

Infrastructure megaprojects aren't the only way to fill gaps, experts say

A shift toward "small and beautiful" projects under the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative has been welcomed by African experts who say it will help the continent develop infrastructure in remote areas that have long been neglected.

The greater attention on smaller projects comes as China promotes the benefits of China-Africa public-private partnerships, centered on models such as build-operate-transfer and build-own-operate-transfer. In this way, more infrastructure can be built without increasing public debt.

According to the African Development Bank, Africa has an infrastructure-financing gap running at about $100 billion a year, and experts say countries will have to attract private financing to complement public resources for the gap to be bridged.