Conference on PPPs opens in Kigali

KIGALI - An international conference on Private and Public Partnerships (PPPs) that is taking place in Kigali is aimed at coming up with a proper framework through which public and private entities can partner. PPP is described as a government service or private business venture that is funded and operated through a partnership between the government and one hand or more private companies. The conference was organised by the School of Finance and Banking (SFB) in partnership with the London Metropolitan University in the UK. Speaking at the opening of the conference yesterday, SFB Vice Rector for Academics, Dr. Papias Musafiri Malimba, said that the forum was born through the school’s efforts to bridge the gap which has long existed between the traditional academic set up and the business community whereby universities were largely seen as ivory towers. Malimba further said that the conference is expected to provide theoretical as well as empirical foundation for the analysis of the creation and functioning of PPP on win–win grounds. “From its inception, the PPP concept was being confused with outsourcing and privatization. This misconception did impede an open debate on how to advance the ‘new public management’ agenda for changes in the way public services are provided,” said Malimba. The Minister of Infrastructure, Vincent Karega, who attended the conference, said that PPP is key in fast tracking development. He called upon people in the country to venture into PPPs saying that the business environment in the country is conducive as shown in the World Bank’s doing business rankings. Karega also promised that the government would do more in creating awareness on the benefits accrued from PPPs.Speaking to The New Times in a separate interview, the Rector of SFB, Dr. Reid Whitlock, said that the conference would act as a platform for people from the academic, public, and private entities to network. The two-day conference has attracted expert speakers from India, South Africa, UK, Canada, Uganda, and Kenya, among others. Ends

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Conference on PPPs opens in Kigali