Countries implementing the ICRAT

Why infrastructure accountability matters

Infrastructure is central to development—connecting communities to schools, health services, and markets, and building resilience to climate change. But too often, poor investment decisions, opaque processes, and corruption risks mean that infrastructure projects fail to deliver value for money. In some cases, governments are left burdened with unsustainable debt, while communities face the consequences of wasted resources, “white elephant” projects, and missed opportunities for vital services.

As global infrastructure investment grows, the need for stronger safeguards, citizen oversight, and transparent decision-making is greater than ever.

Read more here about TI Australia’s advocacy for strong infrastructure governance and the energy transition.

Read more about countries TI Australia has worked with to uncover infrastructure governance challenges and use the ICRAT below.

Indonesia

TI Indonesia has been utilising the ICRAT since 2022 to assess the corruption risks of the case study projects below. These case studies have been developed from TI Indonesia’s detailed ICRAT report, Corruption Risk Assessment of Infrastructure Projects in Indonesia, published in 2023.

Jakarta-Bandung Fast Train

Hambalang Sports Centre

Balang Island Bridge

Sri Lanka

In recent decades, Sri Lanka has undertaken large-scale infrastructure projects such as ports, expressways, airports, and energy projects, intended to boost development and regional connectivity. However, many of these projects have been marred by:

Allegations of corruption and mismanagement, including inflated costs and opaque tender processes
Lack of public consultation and oversight during project identification and selection
Unsustainable debt burdens, often linked to projects with questionable long-term utility ("white elephants")
Geopolitical influence from bilateral donors shaping infrastructure priorities without adequate transparency.

This environment creates fertile ground for corruption and poor governance, undermining public trust, financial sustainability, and development outcomes.

Solomon Islands

In Solomon Islands, the issue of corruption poses significant challenges, particularly in the context of infrastructure development. As a developing small island state, the Solomon Islands have faced periods of political instability and uncivil unrest. These factors contribute to corruption risks. The country’s geographical features, low state penetration and weak central institutions exacerbate corruption vulnerabilities. Natural resources management also presents governance challenges. Corruption adversely affects critical areas such as healthcare, education infrastructure and socioeconomic development. Benefits from natural resources exploitation often flow out of the country, leaving the Solomon Islands with limited local development. The lack of employment opportunities compounds the challenges faced by the rapidly growing population.

Zambia

Zambia has seen some of the largest public investment projects in Africa. These include the Lusaka-Ndola road expansion project, costed initially at USD$1.2 billion and later revised to USD$650 million, and the US$294.2 million Kariba Dam Rehabilitation Project. The financing models for these infrastructural projects vary considerably. In comparison, multilateral agencies and development banks financed the Kariba Dam Rehabilitation Project, while local pension funds and private sector players are funding the Lusaka-Ndola road expansion project through a Private Partnership model.

Kenya

Kenya is losing over KSh 600 billion through stalled and mismanaged public infrastructure projects caused by corruption, poor oversight, and weak implementation of laws.

Pakistan

For Transparency International Pakistan, whose mandate focuses on strengthening integrity, accountability and transparency, infrastructure projects represent a priority sector for reform. This is especially relevant at the intersection of climate governance, access to information and procurement integrity.