Strategic Coordination for Sustainable Investment in Critical Infrastructure

Abstract

In demonstrating the prime place of infrastructure investment in its national long-term development framework encapsulated in Vision 2030, as well as in the related New Growth Path, South Africa recently put together a comprehensive National Infrastructure Plan. Aside from mapping out short and medium-term priorities for scaling up investment in strategic sectors and enhancing infrastructure links across the country, the initiative underscores development objectives such as community empowerment and skills development. This paper zeroes into one of the 18 strategic programs in the plan—specifically devoted to water and sanitation infrastructure—and presents the principal elements for pursuing effective inter-project coordination and integration, as well as, ultimately, for ensuring the sustainable implementation of critical infrastructure. The approaches that have influenced the success of strategic coordination include participatory planning, project prioritization, regular tracking and unblocking of implementation hurdles, localization, active stakeholder engagement and ongoing program integration.