President Lourenço and AU’s Youssouf Lead Historic Push for African Infrastructure Sovereignty

October 31, 2025

By Ajong Mbapndah L

Infrastructure is a means to create jobs, promote intra-African trade, and improve lives. It is the foundation of regional and continental integration, said Angola’s President and current Chair of the African Union João Lourenço

A wave of optimism swept through Luanda as African leaders, investors, and policymakers concluded the 3rd Summit on Financing for Infrastructure Development in Africa (LFS 2025). Hosted by President João Lourenço of Angola in partnership with the African Union Commission, the summit marked a decisive step toward financing Africa’s transformation on African terms.

The Luanda Financing Summit ended with tangible outcomes: the launch of a US $1.5 billion fund to support 69 priority infrastructure projects and a record US $160 billion in new commitments from African governments and financial institutions.

It also saw the adoption of the landmark Luanda Declaration, a policy and financing roadmap reaffirming Africa’s determination to accelerate integration and inclusive growth through domestic resource mobilization, innovative financing, and strategic investment in Agenda 2063 flagship programmes.

A Defining Message: Africa Must Build Itself

Opening the summit, President Lourenço called for a collective mindset shift — from dependency to self-determination.

“We are not here merely to discuss numbers or mechanisms,” he declared. “We are here to reaffirm our shared vision of a connected, modern, and resilient Africa.”

He emphasized that infrastructure is the backbone of Africa’s economic sovereignty, not simply a development metric.

“It creates jobs, powers industries, and drives intra-African trade,” he said. “It is the bridge linking our economies and the engine that will power the African Continental Free Trade Area.”

Africa must invest 130 billion dollars yearly to close its infrastructure gap — the backbone of the AfCFTA and our economic sovereignty, said AUC Chair Mahmoud Ali Youssouf

Youssouf: ‘Integration Is Not a Dream — It Is Our Method’

Joining the Heads of State, H.E. Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, Chairperson of the African Union Commission, underscored the continent’s progress under the Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa (PIDA) and the urgency of scaling up.

“Africa must invest 130 billion dollars yearly to close its infrastructure gap — the backbone of the AfCFTA and our economic sovereignty,” he said.

Through PIDA, Youssouf noted, Africa has already built 16,000 km of roads, 4,000 km of railways, and delivered energy access to 30 million people.

“The next phase will scale this success through domestic resource mobilization, innovative financing, and stronger global partnerships,” he added.

His most resonant line drew applause across the hall:

“Africa’s integration is not a dream; it is our method.”

From Vision to Action: The Luanda Declaration

The Luanda Declaration on Financing Africa’s Infrastructure Development, adopted at the summit’s close, enshrines this spirit of ownership.

It calls for:

Strengthening Africa’s financial architecture and deepening regional capital markets;

Mobilizing domestic savings and sovereign funds to finance large-scale projects;

Enhancing public-private collaboration to close the infrastructure gap; and

Accelerating Agenda 2063’s flagship initiatives, including:

the Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa (PIDA),

the African Single Electricity Market (AfSEM),

the Continental Commodities and Manufacturing Platform (CMP),

the Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM), and

the African Integrated High-Speed Rail Network (AIRN).

With these commitments, LFS 2025 positioned itself as more than a conference — a continental turning point.

Confronting the $170 Billion Challenge

Both Lourenço and Youssouf reminded delegates of the African Development Bank’s estimate: the continent faces an annual infrastructure financing gap of $130–$170 billion.

This deficit, Lourenço said, “limits growth, raises production costs, and perpetuates inequality.”

But he was clear that Africa can no longer outsource its destiny. He urged countries to capitalize on partnerships with AUDA-NEPAD and the Alliance of African Multilateral Financial Institutions (AAMFI) — whose new $1.5 billion infrastructure facility was launched during the summit — to mobilize long-term, blended capital.

“Africa must not be seen solely through the prism of risk,” Lourenço insisted. “We must be rated for our potential and our record of responsibility.”

Angola’s Example: Building a Future from the Ground Up

As Angola prepares to celebrate 50 years of independence, Lourenço showcased his nation’s evolution from post-war reconstruction to regional powerhouse.

Delegates arriving in Luanda landed at the new António Agostinho Neto International Airport, one of Africa’s most modern gateways.

Angola has rebuilt thousands of kilometers of roads, expanded ports — including the deep-water Port of Caio in Cabinda — and launched nationwide energy and water infrastructure programs.

The Caculo Cabaça Hydropower Plant, producing 2,172 MW, will elevate national power generation toward 15,000 MW within two decades, enabling exports to the SADC and Central Africa power pools through public-private transmission lines.

Water initiatives such as BITA and Quilonga Grande will deliver potable water to 7.5 million people in Luanda and Icolo e Bengo, while new dams in Cunene and Namibe are mitigating the impact of droughts.

Digital expansion is also central: Angola is extending its national fiber-optic backbone and preparing a new Earth-observation satellite, bringing innovation to rural communities and industries alike.

Deal Rooms and Commitments

Throughout the summit, “deal rooms” facilitated direct engagement between governments, investors, and multilateral banks. Dozens of pre-selected projects — spanning energy, transport, water, and ICT — were presented for financing, generating a pipeline of transformative opportunities across the continent.

President Lourenço praised the collaboration between AUDA-NEPAD and AAMFI for ensuring that “African projects are evaluated on merit, not outdated assumptions.”

Youssouf reinforced that domestic and regional capital must take the lead.

“We must depend on our ambition, our creativity, and our collective strength — not aid,” he told the gathering.

Integration Through Connectivity

From the Lobito Corridor, linking Angola, Zambia, and the DRC, to the African Integrated High-Speed Rail Network, the message was clear: connectivity is the currency of Africa’s future.

“The future of Africa depends on our ability to unite around common objectives,” Lourenço concluded. “Our ambition is to build the infrastructure that will sustain industrialization and guarantee the future of our youth.”

With $160 billion in new commitments, a $1.5 billion infrastructure fund, and a Declaration that unites governments, investors, and institutions around a single vision, LFS 2025 has become a milestone in Africa’s journey toward economic self-reliance.

A New Dawn for Africa’s Infrastructure Sovereignty

With $160 billion in new commitments, a $1.5 billion infrastructure fund, and a Declaration that unites governments, investors, and institutions around a single vision, LFS 2025 has become a milestone in Africa’s journey toward economic self-reliance.

No longer waiting for external saviors, the continent is charting its own course — one highway, one port, one digital network at a time.

“Every kilometer of road, every megawatt of power, every fiber-optic cable,” Lourenço said, “must translate into a better life for Africans.”