Public-Private Partnership and Infrastructural Development in Abia State, Nigeria, 2007-2014

ABSTRACT Following the enactment of the Infrastructural Concessions Regulatory Commission (ICRC) Act in Nigeria, Abia state government keyed into the framework of the PPP in 2007. This was in a bid to bridge the infrastructural gap in the state and to actualize the objectives of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), especially as it affects the development of a global partnership for poverty reduction through provision of basic infrastructures and industries. Despite policy efforts made towards this direction, decadence in the state’s health system, education, road network, electric power generation and distribution, housing, industries, among others, has been on increase. In view of this, this study was aimed at investigating Public Private Partnership and infrastructural development in Abia state from 2007 to 2014. To this end, the study proceeded from two major objectives thus: (1) To ascertain whether non compliance to the legal framework by the Abia State Government adversely affect Public Private Partnership and infrastructural development in the state between 2007 and 2014; and (2) To determine whether internal security threats undermine Public Private Partnership and infrastructural development in Abia state between 2007 and 2014. Our method of data collection and analysis were based on qualitative descriptive method and David Easton’s Systems theory. The study discovered that though the Abia state government has since 2007 made policy efforts aimed at leveraging from PPP framework in infrastructural development in the state, the state government’s non compliance to the legal framework combined with internal security threats have adversely affected, as well as, undermined Public Private Partnership and infrastructural development in Abia state within the period under study. Against these findings, the study recommended, among others, that in its effort to leverage from the PPP framework in the development of infrastructures in the state, Abia state government should endeavor to always comply with the legal framework of PPP, especially as it affects commitment to contribution of counterpart funds and risk sharing.