Interview
Ahead of the 16th Africa PPP Infrastructure Finance, Investment & Partnerships Summit, Liban Roba Duba discusses how integrated basin development can support Kenya’s food-security and industrialisation agenda, what is required to turn strategic water and agriculture concepts into bankable projects, and the partnerships TARDA is seeking to unlock through the summit.
Responses have been lightly edited for clarity and consistency without changing their substance.
Integrated basin-based development should not be viewed only from an irrigation perspective; it is part of a national economic-transformation agenda. Water infrastructure is one of the most strategic factors for unlocking food security, industrial competitiveness, climate resilience and inclusive regional development.
Kenya possesses significant untapped land and water resources within river basins such as the Tana and Athi. Their full economic potential can only be realised through integrated investments – including the Tana Delta Irrigation Project (TDIP), Masinga, Kiambere and Emali projects – that simultaneously address irrigation, flood management, renewable energy, value addition, environmental conservation and community livelihoods.
TARDA brings an institutional track record of developing and implementing large-scale, multipurpose infrastructure, including the Masinga and Kiambere dams and the TDIP food-security project. A central lesson from this experience is that modern irrigation systems should sustain year-round agricultural production, stabilise food supply and reduce import dependence, while giving rise to agro-processing industries and employment across value chains.
Our more-than-half-century record of basin development demonstrates that irrigation infrastructure should not be viewed as a stand-alone public investment. Dams, reservoirs, bulk-water conveyance systems and irrigation networks can create opportunities for commercial agriculture, livestock production, renewable energy, fisheries, logistics, industrial parks, carbon markets, eco-tourism and rural enterprise development. This integrated approach improves project attractiveness while strengthening climate adaptation and long-term resilience.
Achieving food-secure systems in Kenya will depend on developing bankable, climate-smart water-infrastructure ecosystems capable of mobilising both public and private investment.
One of the biggest challenges facing major agricultural development across Africa is not necessarily a shortage of investment opportunities; it is a shortage of bankable, investment-ready projects. Many opportunities remain unattractive because they lack the technical fundamentals, clear risk allocation and commercial proposition required by suitable investors.
Drawing from TARDA’s experience with the TDIP rice PPP, successful projects require deliberate government participation in de-risking and supporting the project, followed by a disciplined progression from concept to a fully structured investment proposition backed by consolidated technical, financial, environmental, legal and institutional due diligence.
Comprehensive project preparation and technical studies: Detailed feasibility studies, engineering and hydrology designs, environmental and social impact assessments, climate-risk analysis, financial modelling and bankability assessments reduce transaction costs and investment uncertainty. Investors require predictable cash flows and clearly allocated risks.
Transparent governance and regulatory structures: Transparent processes, well-defined concession structures, strong regulatory oversight, secure land tenure, enforceable contractual arrangements and effective dispute-resolution mechanisms improve investor confidence while safeguarding the public interest.
Diversified revenue and long-term financial sustainability: Integrated basin development can combine revenue streams from commercial agriculture, renewable-energy generation, carbon credits and other productive uses. Diversification strengthens project cash flows and improves financial viability.
ESG integration across the project lifecycle: Projects must demonstrate measurable climate resilience, biodiversity conservation, sound water management and meaningful inclusion of local communities.
Balanced risk allocation and appropriate public support: Clear risk allocation, viability-gap funding where necessary, blended-finance structures and an enabling policy environment are essential to align private returns with public value.
TARDA views Africa PPP 2026 as a strategic platform for building partnerships that move beyond conventional infrastructure financing and accelerate regional transformation. We are seeking partners that can bring capital for feasibility-ready investments, innovation and technology, market networks, global access and specialised skills.
Priority partnership areas include climate-smart, large-scale agricultural value chains – including rice, sugar, livestock, fodder and horticulture – as well as renewable energy, aviation, warehousing, agro-industrial parks, cold-chain and storage infrastructure, commercial land development, climate finance and biodiversity conservation.
The summit provides an important opportunity to connect government institutions with development finance institutions, institutional investors, technology providers and private developers around a shared vision of sustainable, infrastructure-led growth for Kenya and the wider African region.
Private-sector participation is particularly important in developing downstream value-addition industries that maximise returns from public infrastructure investment. TARDA is working to formulate investment-ready PPP opportunities such as the TDIP sugar, rice and livestock projects, demonstrating how integrated basin development can generate commercial returns while strengthening national food security, enhancing climate resilience and improving livelihoods across the two basins and beyond.
Meet Liban Roba Duba at Africa PPP 2026
