Beyond Britain: how do other countries use PFI?

The 8-mile long Confederation Bridge linking New Brunswick, Canada with Prince Edward Island. Opened in 1997, it was the first Canadian public facility to be built with a Private Finance Initiative contract. Credit: Chensiyuan / Wikimedia Commons

First seen in Britain in the early 1990s, Private Finance Initiative has reached far beyond its natural boundaries over the years.

With projects active in France, Spain, Portugal, Japan, Nigeria among many others, we can safely say that few countries have resisted the lure of PFI.

Going by the names PPP or P3, it may not be referred to by the same term.

The underlying principle, however, is the same: infrastructure projects are financed, built and maintained by the private sector against annual payments from public authorities.

Here we give an overview of how three countries (France, Japan and Canada) have developed PFI policies.