The Australian Infrastructure Financing Facility for the Pacific (AIFFP) showcased its commitment to resilient, inclusive and locally driven infrastructure during the recent Pacific Region Infrastructure Facility (PRIF) Week 2024.
Held virtually from 8 to 11 October, PRIF Week brought together Pacific government representatives, development partners, private sector stakeholders and regional organisations to discuss priorities and solutions for regional infrastructure development.
The PRIF is a multi-partner coordination and technical assistance (TA) facility that aims to improve the quality and coverage of infrastructure and service delivery in the Pacific.
AIFFP Local Content Lead, Ms Emma Tiaree, Gender Equality, Disability and Social Inclusion (GEDSI) Advisor, Ms Tait Brimacombe, and Telecommunications Unit Director, Ms Suzanne Bent, emphasised the critical role of local content and digital resilience in advancing sustainable growth across the Pacific.
Ms Tiaree highlighted the AIFFP’s strategic commitment to enhancing Pacific economies by mandating local content planning in infrastructure projects.
The AIFFP’s approach centres on prioritising Pacific jobs and industry participation in all aspects of project delivery to strengthen local and regional economies. This includes delivering social impact beyond the value of the infrastructure by providing participation opportunities for disadvantaged people most commonly excluded from the industry.
This strategy includes designing projects to optimise the use of local materials and construction capabilities, which not only cuts costs but also drives sustainability.
Importantly, where skills, goods, and services are not available locally, the AIFFP requires all projects to develop innovative solutions to grow the next generation of Pacifica skilled workers and suppliers by the end of the project. The AIFFP structures projects’ construction sites as ‘learning sites’ to local graduates, trades trainees, and engineering students to gain industry experience on high-value construction projects built to international standards.
This initiative exemplifies the AIFFP's dedication to strengthening local skills, enhancing the quality of the construction sector, and fostering inclusive economic opportunities in the Pacific.
During PRIF Week, Ms. Bent’s presentation highlighted the AIFFP's role in improving Pacific connectivity. Focusing on undersea cable infrastructure, she emphasised the priority of regional funding and delivery partnerships, the importance of quality, reliable, and resilient connectivity, and forward planning to provide future options for branching systems to bolster regional digital inclusion and economic advancement.
Ms Brimacombe outlined the AIFFP’s emphasis on digital resilience with a focus on GEDSI. The AIFFP’s approach, beginning with a regional scoping report to identify digital resilience gaps, includes a pilot in Palau testing GEDSI integration in digital infrastructure, aimed at making digital resources accessible to all.
Findings reveal that social norms, including high gender-based violence rates, impact digital inclusion for women, underscoring the need for online safety and digital literacy. By addressing these issues, the AIFFP aims to support a digital ecosystem that reduces inequality and prioritises local, community-driven solutions for long-term sustainability.
Through its focus on local content and digital resilience, the AIFFP is advancing an infrastructure agenda that aligns with the Pacific’s unique needs and is designed to support inclusive, sustainable development across the region.
PRIF Week 2024 also covered climate resilience, financing, infrastructure upkeep and boosting public-private partnerships. Sessions highlighted digital transformation and gender equality as essential to developing Pacific infrastructure.