The role of corporate governance in management of physical public infrastructures in some selected Sub-Saharan African countries

Abstract

This study used the case study research design to achieve its objective. Secondary data were collected from five public infrastructures in five African countries made up of Cameroon, Lesotho, Zimbabwe, Zambia, and Mozambique. The analysis focused on the failures and successes in planning, development, and operation of public infrastructure according to the tenets of corporate governance theories chosen. The findings revealed that the failures in public infrastructure management as observed in three of the five cases studied, namely, the Olembe Stadium in Cameroon, the Matabeleland Zambezi Water Project in Zimbabwe, and the Queen Mamohato Memorial Hospital in Lesotho, originated mostly from the planning and development stages. On the other hand, the success recorded in two cases, which are Mozambique’s Maputo Development Corridor and Zambia’s Chirundu One-Stop Border Post, are attributable to the fact that they are governed by clear coordination in all stages of the public infrastructure management process with the clear involvement of all the stakeholders.