OECD InfraDays 2026 Highlights the Growing Global Momentum Behind Blue Dot Network Certification

From 4 to 6 May 2026, the OECD hosted InfraDays 2026 in Paris, bringing together governments, infrastructure leaders, investors and project developers to discuss how to strengthen governance for resilient infrastructure.

A key highlight of this year’s programme was the Blue Dot Network (BDN) Certification Ceremony, which recognised a new group of infrastructure projects demonstrating strong performance against internationally-recognised standards for quality infrastructure.

Opening the ceremony, OECD Secretary General Mathias Cormann underlined the importance of trusted, independently verified infrastructure to help mobilise investment and strengthen confidence across the infrastructure ecosystem. The ceremony also recognised the role of BDN’s independent certification partners - SGS, Bureau Veritas and Ricardo - in ensuring a rigorous and credible certification process that investors can trust.

Five newly certified projects were recognised during the ceremony, reflecting the growing reach of BDN certification across regions and sectors.

• The East Africa Marine Transport project is a roll on-roll off freight service across Lake Victoria between Uganda and Tanzania. It reduces average journey times from four days to 18 hours, lowers fuel use and emissions, improves road safety and supports regional trade integration.

• The Hwaseong AI-enabled Water Treatment Plant in South Korea shows how digital systems can improve infrastructure performance. The project has achieved around 28% efficiency gains and 33% lower maintenance costs, while reducing energy use, chemical use and emissions.

• The São Paulo Water Crossing System in Brazil is a ferry concession deploying 41 electric ferries across coastal and inland waterways in the State of São Paulo. It improves connectivity for people and businesses, reduces emissions and supports the creation of 12,500 jobs.

• The REZA project in Egypt will redevelop the existing Zafarana site in the Gulf of Suez through approximately 1.1 GW of modern wind turbines and 2.1 GW of utility scale solar PV installations. Developed by Voltalia, it supports energy security and Egypt’s transition to low-carbon power.

• The Angololo Water Resources Development Project, spanning Kenya and Uganda, is the first PIDA (Program for Infrastructure Development in Africa) project to receive BDN certification, thanks to a collaboration with AUDA-NEPAD. It will support irrigation across about 4,000 hectares, supply water to more than 270,000 people, generate over 1.3 MW of hydropower and restore more than 130 sq km of degraded upstream watershed, providing flood protection and stable livelihoods for local communities.

The Certification Ceremony formed part of a broader week of discussions on infrastructure governance, resilience and investment mobilisation. On 5 May, the Blue Dot Network Executive Consultation Group (ECG) convened public and private sector leaders to discuss how certification can support stronger project pipelines and respond to evolving investor expectations. A new Private Capital Working Group will further enable BDN-certified projects to access private investment.

If you are interested in joining the Blue Dot Network Executive Consultation Group, please contact the Secretariat at secretariat@bluedot-network.org. The ECG brings together a global community of over 200 leaders across the infrastructure ecosystem, offering a platform to engage with peers, inform the certification framework and help scale high quality, bankable projects.