Infrastructure is essential for cross-border connectivity. Resilient cross-border connections enable everything from critical supply chains to virtual connectivity, energy transmission, and more.
For these reasons, governments need to be prepared to deliver cross-border infrastructure. Yet, infrastructure projects that traverse countries present unique challenges in planning, management, finance and execution. The GI Hub has collated the body of knowledge and analysed project examples to answer the question: how can these challenges be addressed to implement successful cross-border infrastructure?
Our cross-border infrastructure reference guide draws key learnings and practices from a comprehensive literature review and the input of international infrastructure experts with in-depth experience in cross-border projects and infrastructure connectivity. This resource is informed by dozens of projects at every lifecycle stage from concept to planning, delivery and management.
A practical guidance tool informed by more than 40 examples worldwide
The reference guide contains key learnings from over 40 examples, including detailed case studies of seven infrastructure projects crossing national borders. The learnings span five areas: policy and planning, legal and regulatory considerations, stakeholder engagement, finance and risk allocation, and governance and management.
The reference guide contains key learnings from over 40 examples, including detailed case studies of seven infrastructure projects crossing national borders. The learnings span five areas: policy and planning, legal and regulatory considerations, stakeholder engagement, finance and risk allocation, and governance and management.
Key considerations
1. Adopting policy, planning and prioritisation frameworks for efficient regional cooperation
Use of specific cross-border frameworks is essential to align the project with national and regional infrastructure plans and ensure appropriate institutional capacity to deliver broader development strategies.
Key learnings point toward these global practices:
- Higher-level frameworks should be implemented within the development strategies of the countries or regions involved, to identify priority projects and consider the bilateral and multilateral trade agreement implications of these projects. This will optimise the coordination between countries.
- Cross-border projects require a shared vision that addresses mutual goals. Project ‘champions’ can help advocate for the project using this vision, and can be effective avenues for developing the project.
- Cross-border projects require dedicated resources and coordinated planning between countries. Institutional capacity and coordination needs to be maintained throughout the project lifecycle. International bodies, such as multilateral development banks (MDBs) and international organisations (IOs), can help supplement and develop the institutional capacity of countries to deliver cross-border projects.
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2. Creating legal, regulatory and stakeholder alignment to enable cross-border delivery
An enabling environment is key to success and, for cross-border projects, it particularly includes intergovernmental project agreements and harmonisation of rules and regulations to align interests.
Key learnings point toward these global practices:
- Where possible, intergovernmental agreements should be used to help align governments on project objectives and ensure the project is not adversely affected by changes in national policies or legal and regulatory frameworks.
- All relevant stakeholders, including relevant affected industries and communities, should be involved to establish the ‘win-win perspective’ and accomplish durable benefits. Multi-level governance mechanisms can be effective in facilitating involvement of stakeholders.
- It is essential to quantifiably assess the costs and benefits – including environmental, social and governance considerations – for each party to the project. Given the complex nature of cross-border projects and low visibility on the counterparts, scenario analysis incorporating more extreme cases is essential to understand risks and draft multi-lateral agreements.
- Binational or multinational frameworks can be put in place to harmonise rules and regulations (including tariffs, customs and border crossings procedures) as well as technical operability and safety standards, to enable smooth planning, delivery and operation.
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“The guide aligns with several elements of ICE’s work on planning and prioritising infrastructure investment and mega joint ventures for delivering infrastructure projects. ICE commends GI Hub for developing this guide.”
– Mark Hansford, Director of Engineering Knowledge, Institution of Civil Engineers
3. Optimising the financial structure to properly allocate risks and benefits
Financial structures can be particularly difficult on cross-border projects, given these projects' unique complexities and risks. The optimal financial structure is one that is viable in the project environment and properly allocates risks and benefits.
Key learnings point toward these global practices:
- Given the unique risks cross-border projects face in their financing, governments should be prepared to assume more risk than they would on comparable national projects.
- Financial structures for national projects can also be used on cross-border projects, with consideration of risks specific to cross-border projects.
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4. Establishing effective governance structures
The governance approach should reflect the project specificities, but will likely include a governance body that sets the agenda and collaboration format for development and beyond, and ensures capacity and competency across the lifecycle.
Key learnings point toward these global practices:
- The project collaboration format needs to correspond to the stakeholder community.
- Governance decisions should be made in agreement between all stakeholders, irrespective of size, power and interests.
- The governance structure and contractual model chosen should be appropriate to the context of the project and evolving requirements through the project lifecycle. At government level, the multilateral governance body should have equal representation of governments involved to ensure that the decisions made are mutually agreeable.
- Competent staff and resources should be assigned by all countries involved, assisted by external help where required and augmented by capacity building and training.
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5. Managing efficiently throughout the project lifecycle
Governance and monitoring mechanisms need to build in flexibility to adapt to the greater likelihood on cross-border projects of significantly changing circumstances and risks. Another key requirement for cross border projects is establishing management mechanisms to maintain social licence.
Key learnings point toward these global practices:
- The governance structure of a cross-border project should, where possible, be flexible enough to adapt to changes in government mandates or institutional reforms.
- For the purposes of performance review, compliance and dispute resolution across the life of the project, an effective mechanism should be implemented that is compatible with the legal and regulatory frameworks of the entities and countries involved.
- Social licence should be achieved and maintained by practising effective public consultation throughout the project lifecycle, and providing opportunities for local communities through technical and institutional capacity-building measures.
Full report
This guide presents global practices for cross-border infrastructure projects. In its scope and contents, it aims to be a practical compendium of information about how to effectively and efficiently implement cross-border infrastructure.
“The reference guide highlights important considerations for cross-border infrastructure. Its case study on the Coral Sea Cable System provides a useful summary of the objectives, opportunities and challenges in delivering cross-border telecommunications infrastructure.”
– Pacific Infrastructure Branch, Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
Case studies
Addis Ababa–Djibouti Railway
The Addis Ababa–Djibouti Railway modernisation project is the first cross-border electrified railway in Africa, delivered under a design, build, maintain and operate (DBMO) contract over a period of 6 years. The railway line is a 753 km electrified line between Ethiopia´s capital and the Port of Djibouti, which handles more than 90% of Ethiopia’s international trade.
N4 Toll Route
The N4 Toll Route is a brownfield toll road concession of 630 km running from Pretoria, South Africa to Maputo in Mozambique. It is one of the most important trade routes in the region, forming part of the 1,900 km Trans-Kalahari Corridor road network across South Africa, Botswana and Namibia. The project was delivered under a design, build/rehabilitate, finance, maintain, operate and transfer contract.
The Øresund Fixed Link
The Øresund Fixed Link is a combined bridge and tunnel link across the Øresund Sound between Denmark and Sweden. Its opening in 2000 saw an upturn in mobility at an international, national, regional and local level for one of the busiest and most important traffic routes between the Scandinavian peninsula and the European continent. The project was delivered under a design, build, finance, maintain, own and operate (DBFMOO) contract.
The Channel Tunnel
The Channel Tunnel is a 50 km rail tunnel linking England with northern France. Delivered under a design, build, finance, maintain, operate and transfer (DBFMOT) contract, it was officially opened in 1994. It allows the city of London to be directly connected by train to Paris, Lille, Brussels, Amsterdam and Cologne.
Coral Sea Cable System
The Coral Sea Cable System (CS2) is a 4,700 km fibre-optic submarine telecommunications cable that links Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands to Sydney, Australia. Delivered under a design and build contract, the aim of the CS2 project is to provide faster, affordable and more reliable internet connection to Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands.
Gordie Howe International Bridge
The Gordie Howe International Bridge is a land border crossing between Ontario, Canada and Michigan, US. The Windsor–Detroit trade corridor is the busiest commercial land border crossing on the Canada–US border. The bridge is being delivered under a design, build, finance, operate and maintain (DBFOM) contract with a 36-year contract period (six years construction and 30 years for O&M).
Itaipu Hydroelectric Dam
The Itaipu Hydroelectric Dam is located on the Paraná River on the border between Brazil and Paraguay. The dam is the largest operational hydroelectric energy–producing asset in the world; in 2018, the energy generated supplied nearly 90% of the electricity consumed in Paraguay and about 15% of that consumed in Brazil. The dam is enabled by the Treaty of Itaipu and was delivered under a design, build, operate contract.
Related resources
The USD 508.62 million CLSG Interconnector Project is a landmark cross-border project involving the construction of a transmission line of over 1,300km, with the aim to interconnect the CLSG countries’ energy systems into the West Africa Power Pool (WAPP) regional energy network.
Over the last decade, much has been written about globalisation and how we’re more connected than ever before. In the infrastructure world, we think of connectivity as the “linkages of communities, economies and nations through transport, communications, energy, and water networks across a number of countries” .
When we as consumers decide to invest our money—whether through shares, bonds, or other instruments—we look at whether our investment will deliver a solid financial return. It makes sense then that the same risk-return principle is applied to investments in infrastructure.
Infrastructure can often be used as a pawn in the political chess game, not only at a federal level between political parties, but at a foreign policy level too. It’s crucial that a cross-border infrastructure project has political support and cooperation from all parties involved, and that it’s being supported not for political gain, but to further regional development. A lack of strong political leadership can be detrimental to a cross-border project, and weak capacity can be a deterrent to investors.
As outlined earlier in this blog series, private investors are looking for reliable returns to justify the risks that they are taking. Financing and procurement of cross-border projects will often be more complex than national projects due to the scale of the project and compounded risks, and the financial returns may be more uncertain than for national projects.
Risks can be hard to define, manage and mitigate. In infrastructure projects that cross regional or national borders and involve multiple parties from both the public and private sector, these risks may be amplified.
Investors need certainty of the division of responsibilities between the various parties involved in the project, as well as a clear commitment of payment from the parties, before becoming involved in the project themselves. This requires countries to have reached a clear and durable commitment to their respective responsibilities.