The Syrian Government Is Preparing For Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) Business Deals.

PPPs assign public services and projects to private companies. These partnerships are becoming more prevalent in Syria and other countries due to the fact that private firms are more disciplined and efficient than the Government agencies. In addition, private companies can fund projects that governments can’t finance.

Developing countries should allocate about 10 percent of their GDP to infrastructure development, according to World Bank recommendations. The Deputy Prime Minister for economic affairs, Abdullah Dardari estimates that the government will spend $50 billion on infrastructure between now and 2015. The plan is to have the private-sector raise this capital.

Other projects are now being planned. Syria has severe electricity shortages, and it hopes that power plants and renewable energy facilities will be constructed with PPPs.

Syria also wants to renovate the railroads, highways and airports with PPPs. The Minister of Transport, Yaarub Badr, said that Syria requires $5 billion of transport-related infrastructure improvements and these can be done through PPPs.