9

Active
infrastructure
PPPs

IFC Advisory Services in Infrastructure

Ongoing Public-Private Partnerships in the Middle East & North Africa

© Scott Wallace/World Bank

There are currently nine active public-private partnerships (PPP) in infrastructure in the region.
The degree of poverty vulnerability in the Middle East and North Africa is very high. Overall, al-
though less than 2 percent of the region’s residents live on less than US$1 a day, some 20 per-
cent live on less than US$2 a day. With this clustering of large proportions of the population
around the poverty line, unemployment remains the greatest development challenge and most
new jobs have come from the private sector. IFC has expanded its advisory services to improve
the business enabling environment and encourage public-private partnerships for the develop-
ment of infrastructure. Reducing infrastructure bottlenecks—especially in transportation—is a
strategic priority to support the region’s sustained long term growth.

IFC Advisory Services

in Infrastructure
Middle East & North Africa
The Gate - DFIC
West 10th Floor, Sheik Zayed Road
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
T. +971 4 360 1004
E. infrastructureadvisory@ifc.org
ifc.org/infrastructureadvisory
IFC works closely with many partners including: Australia, Austria, Brazil, Canada, France, Ireland, Italy, Japan,
Kuwait, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, the United States, the Public-
Private Infrastructure Advisory Facility, the Global Partnership for Output-Based Aid, the Private Infrastructure
Development Group, the African Development Bank, the Asian Development Bank, the Brazilian Development
Bank, the Caribbean Development Bank, the Central American Bank for Economic Integration, the European
Investment Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the Inter-American Development
Bank, the Infrastructure Consortium for Africa, and the Islamic Development Bank.
Active Public-Private Partnerships
EGYPT
Cairo-Alexandria Freeway
IFC is advising the Government on a concession for the
rehabilitation of the Cairo-Alexandria toll road and its expansion
into a freeway that meets international standards. The road
system has an aggregate length of 750 km and includes the Cairo-
Alexandria desert road and the northern coastal road between Port
Said and Marsa Matrouh. This project will develop a model PPP
transaction in the country’s transport sector and pave the way for
development of the interstate transportation system.
Alexandria University Hospitals
IFC is advising the Government on PPPs for the design,
construction, financing, and facility management of two centrally
located public hospitals and a blood bank in Alexandria, Egypt.
The project includes:
• A 200-bed gynecology/obstetrics hospital that will be part of
the Smouha hospital complex, which includes pediatric and
emergency hospitals.
• A 223-bed specialized hospital with “centers of excellence”
that provide highly specialized services in neurosurgery and
urology, including kidney transplants. The new facility will be
located near the the existing Mowassat Hospital.
JORDAN
Amman Ring-Road
IFC is serving as the lead advisor to the government of Jordan
on a public-private partnership to develop the 118-km Amman
expressway, the first road to be built under Jordan’s public-private
partnership program. The dual highway will form a circle around
the city and bypass urban development areas. The new road
will ease traffic congestion, cut travel costs, minimize accidents,
eliminate regional truck traffic on city streets, and improve access
to the airport and other key locations.
Amman Light Rail
IFC is the lead advisor to the government of Jordan on a light rail
system linking the capital, Amman, with the nearby industrial
city, Zarqa. IFC will review, assess and update the economic,
technical, legal and environmental studies previously conducted
for the project. The light rail system will include a commuter train
running on a 26 km dual-track railway between the two cities.
PAKISTAN
FAISALABAD ELECTRIC SUPPLY COMPANY (FESCO)
IFC is advising the government on the privatization of FESCO
which provides services to the central Punjab region. FESCO
is one of the electricity distribution companies created by the
unbundling of the power wing of the Pakistan Water and Power
Development Authority. This transaction will be a model for
the eventual privatization of other distribution companies in the
country.
SAUDI ARABIA
Airport cities
As part of a major effort to enhance Saudi Arabia’s international
airport infrastructure, diversify and increase commercial activities,
and provide job creation for the Kingdom, the General Authority
of Civil Aviation (GACA) has engaged IFC as a lead advisor for
development of airport cities at King Abdulaziz International
Airport (KAIA) outside Jeddah and King Khalid International
Airport (KKIA) in Riyadh.
Madinah International Airport
IFC is serving as a lead advisor to GACA on a PPP to expand,
rehabilitate, and operate Prince Mohammed bin Abdulaziz
International Airport in Madinah. Pilgrimage traffic to Madinah
has been growing an average 21 percent a year for the past five
years and is projected to reach close to eight percent per year over
the next five. The expanded airport is expected to handle about
eight million passengers a year by 2014 and 14 million by 2022.
The project’s first phase includes construction of a new passenger
terminal and 14 air bridges.
SYRIA
First Independent Power Project
IFC is advising the Government of Syria on the country’s first
independent power project, an oil- and gas-fired 250MW facility
to be built at the Al-Nassirieh complex. The winning bidder
will build, own, and operate the plant as part of a 20-25 year
concession. Syria’s electricity demand increased an average of 7.5
percent between 2002 and 2007.
YEMEN
First Independent Power Project
IFC is advising the government on a build-own-operate-transfer
concession for three new power plants that will supply one-third
of the 950MW of new capacity needed by 2015. Yemen’s power
demand has been growing eight percent a year for the past decade.
This will be the country’s first independent power project.
02/2010