12-15 December - Francophone Workshop Establishes PPP Working Group, Cotonou
DFI supported OIF in running a workshop on Public Private Partnerships for the Network of Finance Ministers from Francophone Low-Income Countries. Held in Cotonou, Benin and attended by senior officials from 18 network member countries, the workshop was facilitated by DFI, the IMF, the World Bank, Foley Hoag LLP, African Legal Support Facility, Expertise France, FinInfra, and the Association des Parlementaires Francophones.
The Heinrich Boell Foundation and Eurodad provided further support. Discussions focussed on legal and institutional structures, financial costs and risks, negotiating and renegotiating contracts, as well as transparency and accountability. At the end of the workshop, participants stressed the need to be extremely prudent in financing national development via PPPs, and agreed to create a working group and network to take forward joint work on this type of financing.
