Ghana Adopts New Framework to Evaluate Public-Private Infrastructure Resilience

Researchers from Western Sydney University developed a quantitative performance index to evaluate how effectively Public-Private Partnerships enhance critical infrastructure resilience in Ghana. The model uses 19 key indicators grouped into four categories, offering a practical tool for resilience benchmarking and policy planning.

A recent study by researchers from the School of Engineering, Design and Built Environment at Western Sydney University, Australia, has produced a groundbreaking model to evaluate how well Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) contribute to strengthening the resilience of critical infrastructure in Ghana. Authored by Godslove Ampratwum, Robert Osei-Kyei, and Vivian W.Y. Tam, the paper introduces a quantitative performance assessment tool tailored specifically to gauge PPPs’ capacity to enhance infrastructure reliability amid recurring disruptions. Published in the International Journal of Critical Infrastructure Protection, the study responds to a pressing need in countries like Ghana, where infrastructure such as power grids, water systems, and transportation networks is vulnerable to natural and human-induced disasters, and where resilience planning remains underdeveloped.

Measuring More Than Money: Redefining PPP Success

Traditional assessments of PPPs tend to focus on budgets, timelines, and engineering outcomes. However, this study reimagines PPP performance through a socio-technical lens, emphasizing not just what is built, but how those systems endure, recover, and adapt during times of crisis. Ghana, plagued by floods, energy shortages, and fire outbreaks, frequently suffers damage to critical systems that underpin its social and economic functions. While PPPs have been championed as financing tools for infrastructure development, their actual contribution to long-term resilience has never been quantified. This study fills that gap by asking a timely question: how do we measure the performance of PPPs not just in construction, but in the ability to prepare for, withstand, and recover from disasters?

A Rigorous Approach: From Literature to Local Expertise

To construct the model, the researchers drew from an extensive literature review and a previous study that identified 19 Key Performance Resilience Indicators (KPRIs). These indicators were refined through feedback from a forum of industry and academic experts with deep experience in Ghana’s infrastructure sectors. After expert validation, the indicators were tested through a questionnaire survey conducted across Ghana. A total of 157 valid responses were received from professionals in both the public and private sectors, representing roles such as engineers, project managers, disaster officers, and quantity surveyors. This blend of perspectives was essential to ensure that the model reflected real-world operational knowledge and institutional experience.

The survey data was analyzed using statistical software (SPSS) and fuzzy synthetic evaluation (FSE), a technique that translates subjective judgments into quantifiable outcomes. The analysis identified 14 KPRIs with mean scores above 3.5 (on a 5-point Likert scale), indicating strong consensus on their importance. These indicators were grouped into four broader categories, hazard detection, sustainable partnerships, disruptive event detection, and functional performance, using factor analysis. Together, these formed the foundation for a comprehensive, multi-dimensional performance assessment tool.

The Performance Index: What Really Matters

The resulting performance index assigns weight to each of the four key components based on their perceived importance: sustainable partnerships (26.7%), functional performance (26.2%), hazard detection (26%), and disruptive event detection (21%). Among the highest-ranked indicators were the presence of well-designed infrastructure with resilience features, the sustainability of the PPP itself, technology-enabled monitoring systems, continuous service delivery, and comprehensive recordkeeping. Notably, both public and private sector respondents aligned in their perceptions, with statistical testing showing no significant variation in how they ranked each indicator. This consensus suggests that stakeholders across sectors share similar understandings of what constitutes meaningful performance in resilience-building efforts.

The use of fuzzy synthetic evaluation is a particularly innovative feature of the study. It converts qualitative inputs from experts into a structured, mathematical model that allows for comparison across different PPP initiatives. The final performance index can be used by decision-makers to benchmark ongoing projects, identify areas of weakness, and develop targeted strategies for improvement. In a country like Ghana, where infrastructure maintenance is often reactive and financial resources are limited, such a tool can be transformative.

Beyond Infrastructure: Building Institutional Resilience

What makes this model even more relevant is its potential to inform not just infrastructure design, but governance and institutional collaboration. For instance, functional performance metrics focus on the ability of infrastructure to continue operating during disruptive events, while sustainable partnership indicators capture the durability and social capital of public-private arrangements. Similarly, hazard detection includes planning tools like hazard maps and backup systems, while disruptive event detection emphasizes simulation technology and trained personnel.

By identifying these layers, the study expands the meaning of “resilience” from a technical attribute to a system-wide outcome that includes organizational coordination, pre-disaster preparedness, and real-time responsiveness. This comprehensive view urges policymakers, infrastructure managers, and private stakeholders to think beyond bricks and mortar and to recognize the value of continuous learning, data collection, and inter-agency cooperation.

A Model for Ghana, and Beyond

Though the model was developed specifically for Ghana, the methodology is adaptable to other developing countries facing similar infrastructure resilience challenges. The authors acknowledge that the study’s variables may need expansion in future iterations and that the model should be customized when applied in different national contexts. However, the core contribution remains: this is a replicable, data-driven tool that transforms vague notions of PPP performance into measurable, actionable benchmarks.

In sum, the study offers a timely and powerful framework for evaluating the role of PPPs in critical infrastructure resilience. By quantifying abstract concepts like sustainability, reliability, and preparedness, the researchers bridge the gap between resilience rhetoric and real-world implementation. As governments around the world grapple with the dual pressures of climate change and rapid urbanization, such tools may well become essential instruments in designing the resilient cities and nations of tomorrow.