Imbono, an operational platform focused on infrastructure and critical logistics across emerging markets, the University of Cape Town (UCT) and Abu Dhabi University (ADU), have signed a three-year academic partnership to develop a framework for assessing and improving the resilience of infrastructure across Sub-Saharan Africa.
Infrastructure development is essential to long-term economic growth in Africa with an estimated US$181bn to US$221bn required annually just to meet current demand, according to a statement by Imbono in Cape Town today
Existing infrastructure requires operational expenditureand local capacity to ensure it remains fully operational, as reports state that only about 27% of African roads are paved, and more that 600 million people lack access to electricity.
This partnership, the statement said, aims to tackle the US$10.2 to US$11.4 billion needed annually to recover infrastructure losses in Africa, working over three years to advance understanding of infrastructure resilience and support more informed, long-term investment decisions across sub-Saharan Africa.
“By bringing together UCT and ADU’s academic expertise with Imbono’s experience in delivering and operating infrastructure across emerging markets, the work will focus on developing a Unified Resilience Index and decisionsupport platform.
“These tools will help assess performance, identify risks and opportunities, and evaluate potential interventions,” the statement added.
The research will cover infrastructure across energy, water, food and social sectors, with the methodology designed to reflect the different economic, environmental and operating conditions found across Sub-Saharan Africa.
It will provide a consistent, data-driven approach to assessing factors that influence the long-term performance and resilience of infrastructure projects, Valuechain whose team is in Cape Town gathered from Imbono.
Imbono CEO Marcus Weyll said, “This research partnership will be at the cutting edge of infrastructure monitoring and design and will advance the conversation to ensure projects are future ready.
“Durability is fundamental to longterm performance, particularly in markets where operating conditions can vary significantly.
“It brings together UCT’s academic expertise and Imbono’s experience on the ground to develop a practical, evidence-based approach to measuring and improving resilience.”
The partnership will also support knowledge development and capacity building in Africa, including the sponsorship of two PhD students whose research will contribute to the broader objectives of the initiative.
UCT research director, Kathy Michell noted: “Infrastructure development and reliability have been a chronic challenge across Africa. This joint research project will allow for the development of a tool that can highlight key infrastructure
challenges, potentially resulting in the formulation of long-term solutions”.
By combining academic research with real-world infrastructure experience, the partnership aims to contribute to a more data-driven approach to decision-making and long-term value creation across the region.
Data Sources: African Development Bank Group, 2024; Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, 2025.
Valuechain reports that Imbono, launched in February 2026, is an emerging markets operational platform delivering essential infrastructure, goods and services. It brings together local expertise and a strong track record of execution, with a commitment to project completion and durable, long-term impact.
On its part, Abu Dhabi University (ADU) is one of the region’s leading academic institutions, translating the UAE Government’s National Agenda to deliver internationally accredited academic programs and world-class research. Established in 2003, with campuses across Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and Dubai, the University serves over 10,000 students from over 100 nationalities.
The University is home to five colleges across different disciplines including arts, education, social sciences, business, engineering, health sciences, and law, while offering a diverse range of over 65 undergraduate and graduate programs.
The University of Cape Town (UCT), the vision and strategy of the Sustainability Oriented Cyber research Unit for the Built Environment (SOCUBE) is to undertake research that aids in the transformation of the built environment by integrating sustainable development
with cutting-edge cyber technologies, empowers future professionals and fosters global collaboration for smart, resilient infrastructure through interdisciplinary research, education and industry partnerships.
The Urban Real Estate Research Unit (URERU) is a unique interdisciplinary research platform for academia and industry that promotes the identification of issues and seeks solutions to urban real estate investment, finance,
economics, management and sustainability problems in Africa.