The Roads We Never Build: Rethinking Access to Infrastructure Finance in Africa with Joseph Kihara

Episode 191 with Joseph Kihara, Africa Practice Lead at Africa International Advisors and author of The Roads We Never Build: Rethinking Access to Infrastructure Finance in Africa.

Joseph Kihara is reshaping the way we think about Africa’s infrastructure challenge. Rather than focusing on a shortage of capital, he reframes the issue around access — the ability to design, structure, and deliver finance systems that fit the realities of African economies.

In this episode, Joseph explains why so many infrastructure projects never reach financial close despite available funding, and how the legacy of extraction-driven infrastructure still shapes priorities today. He shares lessons from Ethiopia’s Grand Renaissance Dam, which was financed through innovative domestic mechanisms, and highlights how citizens, diasporas, and digital platforms could become Africa’s untapped financing engine.

We also dive into practical strategies for improving project readiness, creating aggregation platforms to attract big capital, and using blended finance with discipline.

What We Discuss With Joseph

• Why Africa’s infrastructure challenge is less about capital and more about access.
• The legacy of extraction-driven infrastructure and how it still shapes today’s priorities.
• Lessons from Ethiopia’s Grand Renaissance Dam on financing large-scale projects differently.
• Unlocking citizens, diasporas, and digital platforms as Africa’s untapped financing engine.
• Practical solutions: improving project readiness, aggregation platforms, and blended finance.
• Building credibility, governance, and trust to attract long-term investment at scale.

Verto Corner
In this week’s Verto Corner, Robert Hallam, Director of Account Management at Verto, explains why client retention is the real engine of business growth. 

He shares how account management goes beyond reliable payments and transparent pricing to building long term partnerships rooted in trust and understanding. Robert discusses the risks businesses face if they overlook retention, and gives examples of how addressing complex client challenges can directly strengthen relationships. 

He also reflects on whether clients in African and other emerging markets have unique needs compared to global enterprises.

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Did you miss my previous episode where I discuss AI in African Healthcare: Using AI to give Africans control of their health and Faster Health Diagnosis? Make sure to check it out!

Connect with Terser:
LinkedIn – Terser Adamu
Instagram – unlockingafrica
Twitter (X) – @TerserAdamu

Connect with Joseph:
LinkedIn – Joseph Kihara or Africa International Advisors

Many of the businesses unlocking opportunities in Africa don’t do it alone. If you’d like strategic support on entering or expanding across African markets, reach out to our partners ETK Group:

www.etkgroup.co.uk
info@etkgroup.co.uk