Fiber-optics too has boosted growth on the continent. The GSM Association (a body which represents the interests of mobile phone operators worldwide) estimates that the next frontier will be on mobile broadband, and that in the next three years, there will be 240 million broadband connections in Africa.

The same way the undersea fiber-optic cable lowered the cost of communication and hence the cost of doing business – with the shift to fiber from the expensive satellite mode - broadband will leverage on the investments already made in terrestrial cables to provide faster connection speeds to the Internet. That kind of speed will spur innovation in technology and according to the GSM Association's dispatch Sub-Saharan Africa could see the creation of "up to 27 million new jobs, increase GDP per capita by 5.2 percent, which will directly lift 40 million people out of poverty by 2025."

China's role

So, how does China fit in? When it comes to electricity and fuel China is at the center of it all. It is in Kenya with oil exploration and geo-thermal generation of power. It is also in Ethiopia investing in the Gibe III hydropower project on the Omo River. Then there's a hydropower dam in Ghana, while in Angola, Chad, Nigeria and Sudan, China is either exploring or already helping with drilling of oil. There's also a pipeline being built in Kenya, Uganda and South Sudan.

As for investment in roads, the Chinese are heavily involved. Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Kenya are all beneficiaries.

"China has not only increased its admission of African students in its universities, but it is also focused on strengthening the continent's scientific infrastructure. More recently, China launched a postdoctoral program for Africans. The candidates will understudy China's science parks, but each will also return home with scientific equipment worth $22,000. No other country in the world has offered such support to African scientists and engineers," Professor Juma noted in one of the debates on development in TheEconomist two years ago.

Africa knows it has problems and it has the solutions. But funding remains the problem. Governments have to find other sources of funding to supplement the aid from the Chinese and other external donors and investors. Countries need to rope in the private sector through the Public-Private Partnerships and governments have to also ease off their dependence on the fuel levy fund to build roads.

Concessions too could come in handy as a form of financing while issues of ownership and collection of duty in the case of toll roads require resolution in order to effectively manage funding for roads.

If the procurement laws are streamlined to curb corruption, quality checks are made compulsory in the execution of the projects and costs are kept to the minimum the continent may just see its infrastructure dreams realized.

(Reporting from Kenya )