Public–private partnerships for sustainable infrastructure development in Ghana: a systematic review and recommendations

Abstract

PurposeThe contribution of the public–private partnership (PPP) model towards the achievement of the United Nation (UN)'s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) has been widely acknowledged. However, limited studies have shed light on the connection between PPPs and the achievement of these coveted goals in Ghana. In this study, the authors aimed at analysing and synthesising the existing literature on the use of PPP to achieve sustainability in infrastructure projects in the country.Design/methodology/approachA three-step approach was used to retrieve and review 60 selected articles aided by content analysis.FindingsThe analysis showed that all existing relevant publications on the application of the PPP model to attain UN’s SDGs in the country are organised around dominant themes, such as poverty alleviation, urban development, waste management and risk management. However, the review revealed little studies exist on pertinent issues relating to PPPs and sustainable development goals, such as climate action, critical resilience, sustainable finance and clean energy.Research limitations/implicationsAlthough the study is limited to 60 articles in Ghana, the results reveal pertinent gaps for further research studies to achieve sustainable infrastructural development in Ghana and other countries.Practical implicationsHolistically, the outcome of this study will serve as a guide to project managers to understand essential issues on attaining sustainability on public projects.Originality/valueThis article contributes to the literature and practice on the significance of PPP in mainstreaming UN's SDGs in public infrastructure projects.

A critical review of public–private partnerships in the COVID-19 pandemic: key themes and future research agenda

“…The aim of the conference was to draw the attention of everyone including global leaders and sign a pact on the climate crisis. Already, climate change is having negative impact on infrastructures across the globe with deteriorating weather conditions (Akomea-Frimpong et al. , 2021c).…”

“…The appropriate academic databases (search engines) for this research include Scopus, PubMed and Web of Science search engines. These three academic databases provide a wide range of publications on PPPs and COVID-19 (Akomea-Frimpong et al. , 2021c; Chowdhury et al.…”

“…The aim of the conference was to draw the attention of everyone including global leaders and sign a pact on the climate crisis. Already, climate change is having negative impact on infrastructures across the globe with deteriorating weather conditions (Akomea-Frimpong et al, 2021c). Avoiding the catastrophic consequences of climate change demands action and commitment in the post-pandemic era not only from politicians but also from everyone.…”

Criticality analysis of financial risks of public-private partnership projects in a Sub-Saharan African country

“…These academic databases are a repository of vast literature within the construction and engineering management (CEM) on PPP research domain. In addition, numerous previous studies in CEM have utilised these search engines to investigate and address various research gaps [6,21]. The main keywords for the search protocol included "financial risks", "financing risks", "financial costs", and "PPP projects", "public-private partnerships", "public finance initiative" and "build-operate-transfer".…”

“…[5]. Further, private financing in public projects amounts to about US$10 billion supporting Sunon-Asogli Gas Fired Power Plant, Amandi Energy Power Plant and others in the country [6]. The overall goal of these PPP projects is to address the huge infrastructure deficits, reconstruct and maintain deplorable infrastructures in Ghana.…”