The event was sponsored by Brickstone Africa
The sole purpose of this session is to create invaluable connections that will spur infrastructure in Africa.
The African Catalyst in partnership with Brickstone Africa, Private Equity and Venture Capital Association, Lagos Angel Network, and Women in Energy Network organized the first edition of InfraConnect intending to provide insight to entrepreneurs building infrastructure projects (Infrapreneurs) with perspective on the legal, construction, and design aspects. The event also featured ten round networking sessions for attendees to share their elevator pitches and make relevant connections with professionals who will contribute to their project success and help in closing the early-stage infrastructure gap.
KEY DISCUSSION SUMMARY
Mel de Nysschen began her keynote address by addressing the numerous challenges facing infrastructure development in Nigeria. She acknowledged the complexities of delivering sustainable and impactful projects in an environment constrained by limited funding, regulatory hurdles, and a growing population. Highlighting infrastructure as a critical driver of economic development, she emphasized how the sector lays the foundation for societal progress, connecting communities, enabling commerce, and fostering innovation.
Drawing comparisons, she pointed out that Nigeria’s infrastructure contribution to GDP remains significantly below the global average (30%), a striking statistic that reflects the infrastructure deficit and its impact on the nation's economic competitiveness. She reiterated the need for stakeholders to adopt innovative approaches, build resilient systems, and prioritize investments in infrastructure to close this gap and unlock the country's vast potential.
In concluding her address, Mel de Nysschen turned her attention to the importance of platforms like the InfraConnect Mixer. She commended the initiative for providing a space where industry players, policymakers, and stakeholders could converge to share ideas, foster collaborations, and develop actionable strategies. She emphasized that the InfraConnect Mixer is not just a networking event but a catalyst for meaningful change, offering solutions tailored to the unique challenges of the Nigerian infrastructure sector.
Her final remarks highlighted the mixer’s ability to bridge gaps in understanding and collaboration, creating opportunities to pool resources, share expertise, and align goals across public and private sectors. She urged participants to embrace the platform’s potential to drive sustainable growth, innovate solutions, and set the course for a more resilient and efficient infrastructure landscape in Nigeria.