An Evaluation of Public Private Partnerships Contribution To sustainable Development Goals (Sdgs) Through Easier Methodology a Case Study of the Expressway, Nairobi Kenya

Abstract

Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) have been the go-to model for public entities in a bid to close the gap between infrastructure and public needs. This research project seeks to study the Value for Man aspect, that is, identify how a PPP adds value to the people and a nation other than the financial aspect. The EASIER method was developed with the significant involvement of global multidisciplinary professionals supported by the UNECE secretariat. EASIER stands for; Engagement of stakeholders, Access, Scalability and Replicability, Inclusiveness and Economic Impact and Resilience. The launch of this new methodology to assess PPPs that can measure impact and score projects for SDGs brings about future improvements in the PPP agreements. The methodology can be applied throughout the project life cycle and purposefully used as a development tool to move projects towards showcasing Value for Man. A case study of the Nairobi Expressway was used. The objectives of this study are; to identify the extent to which PPPs contribute to the realization of SDGs, to analyze the benefits attained towards realization of SDGs, to recognize challenges affecting the attainment of SDGs in the execution of PPP projects, and to propose possible strategies that will enhance attainment of the select SDGs. The study adopted a cross-sectional research design approach in gathering both quantitative and qualitative data. The target population for this research are all the consultants involved during the planning and execution of the Nairobi Expressway project. The primary instrument was a well-crafted and weighted questionnaire which borrowed heavily from the toolkit known as PPP and Infrastructure Evaluation and Rating System (PIERS). Data analysis and presentation was done using excel. Data was presented in bar graph format and simple tables. The overall score for the key indicators was 47.78%, a satisfactory performance that compares averagely to other local projects. The findings failed to reject the null hypothesis that the PPP model does not significantly contribute to attainment of sustainable development goals due to insufficient evidence. Include the conclusions in brief. The recommendations for the study include but not limited to; coming up with plans and strategies to reduce emission of greenhouse gases and energy consumption; execution of stakeholder engagement and public participation plans; preparation and implementation of a risk reduction and mitigation strategy; post-construction evaluation should be carried out to measure the improvement levels of access to essential services by the affected persons and to ensure quality and relevant information about the project is availed to stakeholders.