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| | | Title | Investing in Human Capital to Attract Private Investment in Infrastructure | | Author | W. Gyude Moore | | Date of Publication | 2023 | | Publisher | Center for Global Development | | Abstract | Across several African countries, there has been a troubling trend of infrastructure being stripped to sell as scrap metal. People have been arrested for ripping out and selling rail sleepers in South Africa and Ghana, pylon and copper wires in Uganda, and streetlamp meters in Liberia. That stripping feels like wanton destruction in countries that so badly need infrastructure, but without jobs or economic opportunities, it is one of the few options available to many poor people. Infrastructure stripping is a particularly stark example of a widespread pattern: that failure to invest in human capital has hamstrung the effectiveness of infrastructure initiatives to deliver jobs and growth. While it is widely acknowledged there is high demand for infrastructure in low- and middle-income countries, including in the African region, the corollary of investing in human capital is seldom mentioned. But economic and social returns to infrastructure will be significantly higher when accompanied by similar levels of investment in health and education. Without these complementary investments, returns to infrastructure will be low, employment growth will stall, and the best opportunities left to average people may be economically damaging activities like infrastructure stripping. Investors and governments need to realize that investment in infrastructure that is matched by comparable levels of high human capital development delivers better outcomes for investors and beneficiaries alike. | | Filesize | 320578 MB | | File Format | PDF | | [ View / download original document ] |
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