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Infrastructure blog

What do governments value about the Enabling Better Infrastructure programme?

Date
29 January 2025

After another year of working with governments around the world, we reflect on how EBI has strengthened strategic infrastructure planning.

What do governments value about the Enabling Better Infrastructure programme?
EBI took part in Peru's 8th Infrastructure Taskforce to share how it works with governments worldwide. Image credit: UK Embassy Lima

When it comes to planning infrastructure, overcoming uncertainty is one of the key challenges that governments face.

It can come up in a few different ways:

  1. Getting the fundamentals right: developing a strategic vision and understanding what the infrastructure system should deliver.
  2. Creating a supporting context: involving all stakeholders in decision making.
  3. Engaging with the practicalities of making changes: regulation and monitoring.

It’s important to gain clarity on the basics first, but aligning all three is essential to set up a robust, long-term approach to infrastructure planning.

And here is where the Enabling Better Infrastructure (EBI) programme can help.

Supporting governments with infrastructure planning

The ICE-convened EBI programme brings together independent specialists with a wide range of expertise on planning and prioritising infrastructure.

Since 2019, the programme has been gathering global best practice and distilling it into clear, actionable guidance.

Last year, the EBI programme updated this guidance to help governments build ease, pace, and certainty into their strategic planning approach.

It has since also worked with 19 governments through events and provided 1-2-1 support.

Here are the key learnings from EBI in 2024.

What did governments value about EBI?

Governments said that the EBI programme was integral to shaping their infrastructure strategies.

It helped them find new approaches to develop and manage their strategic infrastructure investments.

They found EBI valuable because:

  • It sets out tried-and-tested steps to consider all the moving parts and how they fit together.
  • It provides these steps and supporting information that is easy-to-access, supported by visuals.
  • It outlines how other countries embody EBI principles, to help benchmark against them.

Four ways EBI helped governments in 2024

1. Providing strategic support

Governments explained that EBI guidance helped them to have conversations about topics they didn’t usually speak about, such as politics and governance concerns.

EBI sessions also encouraged stakeholders to discuss infrastructure needs and how they could be delivered in the future.

For example, at sessions with influential stakeholders in the Middle East, New Zealand, Peru and Wales, the focus shifted from needs in the short term to building systems for the future.

2. Following an iterative approach

Governments part of the EBI network typically had between eight months to one year to develop a strategic plan.

Many governments felt they needed to a produce a well thought out plan that addressed all of their issues from the start.

Yet, working with government officials from Canada and St Lucia showed there was value in breaking down this approach, building in time to reflect and refine.

This iterative approach was powerful in solidifying ongoing work and learning.

It can also help to develop a stronger plan overall by encouraging them to respond to evolving needs.

3. Peer-to-peer learning

Learning from other senior officials firsthand was a key benefit of getting involved in the EBI programme.

EBI sessions helped to share practical and impactful advice, and supported meaningful conversations on shared topics of interest.

Some officials said that was a key priority for them, as it brought the EBI guidance to life

4. Involving all stakeholders

When running sessions with governments responsible for infrastructure, the EBI programme always supports incorporating a wide range of stakeholders into the decision-making process.

Governments found this helpful as it served to identify similarities around the definitions used, the planning approach, and what their key focus was.

It also helped to set up honest conversations about what the next steps were to strengthen infrastructure planning.

Folding in lessons learned

The lessons from 2024 have been outlined in an insights paper, available to read now.

It highlights areas where the EBI guidance can be refined through updates to the content, layout, or visuals.

A final set of guidance will be produced at the end of 2025 to strengthen the planning approach shared with governments.

This is one way the EBI programme ensures it provides the most up-to-date guidance for governments.

Read the full insights paper

The EBI International Conference

You can now register your interest to attend the EBI International Conference taking place at One Great George Street in London on 10 October 2025.

The event will bring together EBI's global network of stakeholders to showcase insights for strengthening strategic planning and prioritisation in practice.

Register your interest today

  • Dr Kerry Bobbins, head of Enabling Better Infrastructure programme at ICE