ASEAN convenes inaugural infrastructure project development training series to strengthen project preparation

August 29, 2026

METRO MANILA, 29 August 2026 – The ASEAN Committee on Sustainable Infrastructure (ACSI) convened the first edition of the ASEAN Infrastructure Project Development Training Series on 27-28 August 2026 in Metro Manila, bringing together regional officials to strengthen the preparation of bankable and investment-ready infrastructure projects.

Held under the theme ‘’Building Bankable Sustainable Infrastructure Projects in ASEAN,’’ the two-day training gathered ACSI representatives along with officials from the Senior Transport Officials Meeting (STOM), the Senior Officials Meeting on Energy (SOME), the ASEAN Digital Senior Officials Meeting (ADGSOM), and the Working Committee on Capital Market Development – Infrastructure Finance Working Group (WCCMD-IFWG). The training was convened back-to-back with the 2/2026 ACSI Meeting.

The training series is a flagship initiative under the Philippines’ 2026 ACSI Chairship. It addresses the gap between national connectivity ambitions and the availability of projects that financiers are ready to support, focusing on what happens between a project appearing on a masterplan and reaching financial close.

In his opening address, Joseph J. Capuno, ACSI Chair and Undersecretary, Department of Economy, Planning, and Development of the Philippines, noted that, “ASEAN’s infrastructure ambitions are significant. The challenge is not simply about mobilising more resources. We need to ensure that the projects we put forward are well conceived, properly prepared, sustainable, and capableof attracting the financing and partnerships needed to bring them to implementation.”

“This is where today’s training series can make a practical contribution and we will look at how we can move from project concepts to investment-ready propositions,” he concluded.

Reaffirming the European Union (EU)’s support, Jerome Pons, Head of Cooperation at the EU Delegation to ASEAN, emphasised shared goals. “This cooperation reflects a shared commitment to strengthening regional connectivity through the development of cleaner and more integrated energy systems, upgrading transport links, and accelerating digital transformation in the region,’’ Pons said.

Throughout the programme, participants examined masterplanning and national-regional alignment, applying a five-pillar bankability framework that covers technical readiness, financial structuring, risk allocation, regulatory and institutional readiness, and sustainability and inclusion. The sessions combined plenary discussions with country and sector-based group work, allowing officials to examine projects from their own countries against alignment and bankability criteria.

A dedicated panel discussion on funding and financing solutions brought together experts from multilateral development banks, including the European Investment Bank and the Asian Development Bank, to discuss the instruments available to ASEAN Member States, including blended finance and de-risking mechanisms.

The First Edition of the training series was supported by the EU-ASEAN Sustainable Connectivity Package – Investment Facility (SCOPE-IF) Project and contributed to the implementation of the ASEAN Connectivity Strategic Plan (ACSP) and the ASEAN Sustainable Infrastructure Action Plan (SIAP) 2026-2030. It laid the foundation for subsequent sessions of the training series, which will continue to support capacity building needed to further advance and expand the ASEAN Infrastructure Pipeline.

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