A new report by the World Bank says low- and middle-income countries like Nigeria would save as much as $4.2tr in net benefit, translating to $4 for each $1 invested, by investing in more resilient infrastructure.
The report by the World Bank and the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR) noted the Resilient Infrastructure Opportunities, that “lay out a framework for understanding infrastructure resilience.
It described this as the ability of infrastructure systems to function and meet users’ needs during and after a natural hazard, just as it examines four essential infrastructure systems: power, water and sanitation, transport, and telecommunications.
Making them more resilient, the report finds, is “critical not only to avoid costly repairs but also to minimize the wide-ranging consequences of natural disasters for the livelihoods and well-being of people.
Outages or disruptions to power, water, communication, and transport affect the productivity of firms, the incomes, and jobs they provide, besides directly impacting people’s quality of life, making it impossible for children to go to school or study, and contributing to the spread of water-borne diseases like cholera.
According to the World Bank Group’s President, David Malpass, “resilient infrastructure is not about roads or bridges or powerplants alone. It is about the people, the households and the communities for whom this quality infrastructure is a lifeline to better health, better education, and better livelihoods.
“Investing in resilient infrastructure is about unlocking economic opportunities for people. This report offers a pathway for countries to follow for a safer, more secure, inclusive and prosperous future for all,” he stressed further.