THE BLUE DOT NETWORK: A proposal for a global certification framework for quality infrastructure

Corruption Risks Loom Large over Financing of Green Infrastructure

18/10/2022 • Article • FNTP

Governments and public international organizations are making a concerted effort to provide large amounts of money to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases (climate mitigation) or adapt to the effects of climate change (climate adaptation). But there is a significant risk that the infrastructure projects where much of this climate financing will need to be targeted will be undermined by corruption—from bribery and kickbacks to fraud and embezzlement. The threat is increased by the scale of the climate financing being provided and the speed with which the required projects need to be completed. Corruption concerns could also deter responsible private sector investors from providing much-needed financing. Since there is only “one shot” at getting this right, the stakes are very high. Accordingly, public international organizations that lead on climate finance and anticorruption efforts, including the International Monetary Fund (IMF), multilateral development banks, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), and the United Nations, need to make preventing corruption in climate finance a much higher priority and take urgent steps, working with governments and the private sector, to address this threat before the bulk of the financing is committed. Climate activists and civil society anticorruption movements should strongly encourage and support these efforts. This Policy Brief identifies key corruption risks that threaten climate infrastructure financing and the best practices that can alleviate these risks. As a means of putting these best practices in place, this Policy Brief advocates that the IMF’s Resilience and Sustainability Trust should provide a mechanism to help coordinate reform in this area. This new trust complements the IMF’s existing lending toolkit by providing financing to vulnerable low- and middle-income countries—about three-quarters of the IMF’s membership—to address longer-term challenges, including climate change and pandemic preparedness.

GPoC 2024, Global Powers of Construction

10/10/2024 • Isabelle PEDRON-LIOU

GPoC 2023 examines the main financial indicators of the industry’s major players and provides insights to help companies understand and assess the related challenges and opportunities. It also explores certain industry trends that have been shaping the construction sector over the past few years or are expected to have a major impact in the future. In 2023 the aggregate US$ sales of the Top 100 GPoC rose by 3.4%, while market capitalization increased by 18.3%. In 2023, revenue obtained by our Top 30 GPoC from international sales rose to 18.4% of total sales from 17.1% the previous year, still under the 19% pre-pandemic ratio achieved in 2019. None of our Top 30 GPoC reported construction losses in 2023 or 2022. Perspectives for the long term remain positive as the industry is expected to grow from US$ 10.4 trillion in 2023 to US$ 16.1 trillion by 2030, with a CAGR of approximately 5.9% during the period. Global trends such as rapid urbanization and decarbonization of the economy represent a huge opportunity for construction companies to go overseas but also to add new activities to their portfolio in addition to the traditional construction business.

Infrastructure and Structural Change in Africa

10/10/2024 • Isabelle PEDRON-LIOU

Past investments in electricity, Internet, and road infrastructure, in isolation and bundled, have contributed to structural transformation and economic development in Africa. Using new data on the expansion of the road, electricity, and Internet networks over the past two decades, the paper shows that having access to both paved roads and electricity has led to a significant reallocation of labor from agricultural to both manufacturing and services. Adding access to fast Internet has had a major impact on structural change, with an even larger impact on reallocating labor away from agriculture. The paper then uses a spatial general-equilibrium model to quantify the impacts of future regional transport investments, bundled with electricity and Internet investments, on economic development in countries in the Horn of Africa and Lake Chad region.

Chiffre d’affaires international 2023 des majors français de la construction

08/10/2024 • Documents FNTP • FNTP

Malgré la poursuite de la décélération de la croissance économique mondiale en 2023 , l’activité internationale des principaux groupes français de construction a une nouvelle fois progressé de façon spectaculaire en 2023 (+26,4%), pour atteindre un chiffre d’affaires de €80 Mds.

Review of the European public-private partnership market in 2023

20/04/2024 • Article • FNTP

38 public-private partnership transactions reached financial close for an aggregate value of €13.6 billion in 2023. In value terms, the market increased by 35% compared to 2022. In number terms, the market decreased by 17% compared to 2022. The most active market was Germany, by value and number of projects. 13 countries closed at least one public-private partnership project, compared to 15 in 2022. Transport was the largest sector both in value and number terms. Over 53% of the transactions closed were government-pay public-private partnerships.

Principaux contrats internationaux remportés par les entreprises du SEFI en 2022

18/04/2024 • Article • FNTP

International Construction Costs 2024: Race for capacity

08/04/2024 • Article • FNTP

The report looks back at another highly disruptive year across global construction markets. The high construction price inflation that we first reported in 2021 broke out across most parts of the global economy in 2022. Even as domestic inflation hit double figures, construction price rises accelerated further, prompted by a unique combination of strong demand, supply chain disruption, tight labor markets and soaring energy costs.

Infrastructure Monitor 2023 : Global trends in private investment in infrastructure

14/02/2024 • Article • FNTP

In 2022, after eight years of stagnation, private investment in infrastructure experienced a significant resurgence. Primary markets saw a substantial increase in transactions and overall value, marking a 29% rise in transactions and a 41% increase in value compared to the five-year average (2017–2021). This significant increase was the result of a post-COVID-19 recovery back to 2015–2019 levels (as a % of GDP), stronger growth in energy transmission and digital infrastructure, and a set of large airport transactions that pushed the level above their pre-pandemic averages. Renewables, especially solar energy, remained strong, with a clear shift toward cleaner energy across income groups. The secondary market also performed strongly due to growth in acquisitions. However, a single year of data is insufficient evidence to indicate a lasting shift in the trend. It should be noted that – compared with previous years’ reports – the analyses draw on a bespoke new dataset developed in partnership with Realfin which has a more comprehensive coverage of transactions, particularly in developing markets. This new dataset almost doubles the value and number of transactions from previous GI Hub Infrastructure Monitor reports. Other datasets accessible to the GI Hub also show strong – albeit lower – growth.

Emerging trends in infrastructure

10/01/2024 • Article • FNTP

KPMG’s 2024 Emerging Trends in Infrastructure highlights ten trends that will shape the world of infrastructure in the next year. All at one time, we want to change our energy mix, our climate, our economies, our global trade patterns, our cities, our technology and our social equity. And we plan to do it all against a backdrop of a non-stationary environment, divisive geopolitical rhetoric and deep economic uncertainty. It is a mammoth task. Humanity’s success or failure will largely rest on the shoulders of our infrastructure. Infrastructure will be central to the energy transition and achieving our climate adaptation goals. It catalyzes economic growth and facilitates trade. It underpins urban renewal, lays the foundations for digital transformation and – done well – can help embed social equity. Delivering on the promise of infrastructure will require greater collaboration, new funding mechanisms, innovative regulatory regimes, new construction techniques, broader skill sets and – more than anything – a high degree of flexibility and creativity. Enabling the world’s transitions, therefore, must start with a transition in the infrastructure sector.