Mikel Tejada Ibañez

A quick internet search of World Bank offices in Tunisia reveals an interesting coincidence – they are located at the very heart of one of the country’s most successful Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) project: the “Lake District” redevelopment project. Although this could make for a great trivia question, it exposes a more concerning fact: the neighborhood, which was redeveloped back in 1983, has only been succeeded by a handful of other large-scale PPP projects in the country.

PPPs can help bridge the financing gap in emerging and developing economies and foster inclusive development | © shisu_ka, Shutterstock Recently released data on private participation in infrastructure shows a significant reduction in investment numbers as a consequence of the extraordinary circumstances created by COVID-19 — such as lockdowns, border closings, and disruption of economic and social activities.