ISLAMABAD: The government has decided to shift the Public-Private Partnership Authority (P3A) from the Ministry of Planning and Development to the Ministry of Privatisation and strengthen the Cabinet Committee on Privatisation (CCoP) to attract greater private sector participation in infrastructure and development projects.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has constituted a committee, headed by Minister for Economic Affairs Ahad Cheema, to hold consultations with stakeholders and work out comprehensive reforms in P3A to ensure transparency, strong monitoring and efficient implementation of public-private partnership (PPP) projects.
At present, P3A’s portfolio includes projects worth more than Rs600 billion in the execution phase. Prominent projects include two major sections of the M-6 motorway being implemented through the private sector, besides the Kharian-Sialkot and Kharian-Rawalpindi motorways, the Capital Development Authority Hospital and a long list of projects in the pipeline. However, various ministries have been resisting relinquishing control of projects for implementation through private sector investment, while the Public Sector Development Programme continues to struggle to meet development needs.
