FIDIC vice president Manish Kothari joined engineers, policymakers, financiers and digital technology professionals from across Africa in Accra, Ghana, for the 31st FIDIC Africa Infrastructure Conference (FAIC 2026), held from 10–13 May.

Hosted by the Ghana Consulting Engineers Association (GCEA) in collaboration with FIDIC Africa, the four days of insight, innovation and connection convened the continent's leading infrastructure community under the theme Future-Ready Infrastructure: Advancing Africa through Innovation and Sustainability. The opening ceremony took place on Monday 11 May at the Movenpick Ambassador Hotel.

Kothari was joined by FIDIC Africa president Rizwan Qadri, the Hon. Kenneth Gilbert Adjei, minister for works, housing and water resources and His Excellency Rui Orlando Xavier, ambassador of the Republic of Angola to Ghana. Addressing delegates, Kothari described Africa as a continent rich in talent, youthful energy and innovation, despite being disproportionately affected by climate change.

The discussions returned repeatedly to Africa's infrastructure financing gap, which the African Development Bank estimates at between US$130bn and US$170bn annually, against available financing of roughly US$68bn to US$108bn. Qadri called for stronger partnerships among governments, engineers, financial institutions, development partners and private sector actors to ensure infrastructure projects are properly designed, financed and managed.

Delivering the keynote, minister Adjei said Africa's future infrastructure must focus on improving lives, and praised consulting engineers as the "quiet heroes" behind the roads, water systems and energy networks that serve communities every day. GCEA president Kwabena Bempong, who welcomed delegates to Accra, stressed that consulting engineers are central to closing the gap and that the conference offered a platform to develop real, actionable solutions.

The programme closed with a gala dinner and awards night at the Palms by Eagles Hotel, where consulting engineers from Ghana and across Africa were recognised for their service to the profession and to FIDIC Africa.

View the event photo gallery here.