S. Africa Plans Infrastructure Investment Trusts to Lure Funding.

South Africa is planning to establish infrastructure investment trusts and a blended-finance vehicle to attract funding for public-works projects such as roads and power-transmission networks. The government aims to designate infrastructure as a separate asset class to help secure funding, with a goal of attracting up to 3.2 trillion rand ($182 billion) from the private sector by 2030. The focus on construction is seen as a way to reduce the country's high unemployment rate, with every 1 million rand spent on infrastructure projects expected to create three low-skilled jobs and boost economic growth. Private infrastructure investment has been hindered by operating costs, corruption, and lack of trust in the government, prompting the government to explore new measures such as asset-backed securities and credit guarantee vehicles to reduce project risks. [Extracted from the article]