Study Notes
Development and Growth Constraints - Infrastructure
- Level:
- A-Level, IB, BTEC National
- Board:
- AQA, Edexcel, OCR, IB, Eduqas, WJEC
Last updated 19 Aug 2019
Closing the infrastructure gap is now crucial in nearly all countries but especially developing/emerging countries who want to make progress towards meeting the SDGs, bring down extreme poverty, improve their export capacity and address numerous environmental challenge. Infrastructure is critical for economic and social development the world over.
Consider for example two specific sustainable development goals:
- SDG 6: “Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all”
- SDG 7.1: “Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all”
We can see below just how much needs to be done in many developing countries, many of them in sub Saharan Africa and East Asia.
Proportion of population with access to a piped on-premises water supply and improved sanitation, 2015
- Egypt 95%
- Ethiopia 12%
- Rwanda 20%
Source: WHO/ UNICEF
Proportion of population with electricity access, 2014
- Egypt 99%
- Ethiopia 22%
- Rwanda 9%
Source: World Bank World Development Indicators
For many countries there is insufficient investment in infrastructure. In part this is because of the enormous up-front financial commitment and the many years before the full benefits of new projects show fruit. The savings gap in many lower and middle-income nations makes financing big capital projects problematic and full of risk and the result can be a lack of investment which ultimately hampers growth and affects people’s everyday lives. Attracting foreign direct investment to help fund and build infrastructure has become a common feature for many developing countries.
The Chinese One Belt One Road Initiative is an example of a hugely ambitious project stretching across many countries that could have a transforming impact but there are risks involved in relying too heavily on overseas capital.
Why does Asian infrastructure investment fall short despite big demand? #LetsBuildAsia https://t.co/2ToNvGpDiw via @ADB_HQ
— SASEC (@sasecprogram) October 22, 2018

This is clearly expressed in the gaps in rural women’s and girls’ access to infrastructure, services, and social protection. Lack of access to affordable and clean energy at the household level has particular implications for rural women and girls.#RuralWomen@UN_Women pic.twitter.com/NcfIvfaer2
— ICCDI AFRICA (@ClimateWed) October 15, 2018
You might also like

Sunk Costs - HS2 may not run through to central London
27th January 2023
Demography and Development (Introduction)
Topic Videos

Rising inflation hits living standards for India's middle class
15th December 2022

Globalisation - Apple shifts iPhone production from China to India
27th September 2022

FDI into India - Foxconn and Vedanta to build $19bn India chip factory
14th September 2022