2.0 Introduction
This chapter focuses on establishing the meaning of infrastructure and the importance of infrastructure in enhancing development in the country. This chapter looks at the various types of infrastructure and studies that had been conducted and showed the role infrastructure played in enhancing economic growth and development, such as the impact of infrastructure development on poverty reduction, boosting trade, job creation, investment promotion and improvement of quality of life of the people.
The contribution of the military towards infrastructure development and its benefits in some African countries is also reviewed. The chapter also attempts to bring out the knowledge gap that exists in Zambia in terms of evaluation and
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Economic infrastructure helps to produce items that were consumed by households, e.g. water, sanitation and electricity. Economic infrastructure can further be sub - divided into three categories: utilities, such as power, piped gas, telecommunications, water and sanitation, sewerage and solid waste disposal, public works, such as roads and water catchments in dams, irrigation and drainage and other transport sub-sectors such as railways, waterways and seaports, airports and urban transport systems (UN Habitat, 2011).
2.2.2 Social Infrastructure
This was the interdependent mix of facilities, places, spaces, projects, services and networks that maintain and improve the standard of living and quality of life in a community. Social infrastructure was in two types, hard and soft infrastructure. Examples of hard infrastructure includes facilities such as health centres, education, recreation grounds, police stations, fire and emergency services buildings, art and cultural facilities and other community facilities. While soft infrastructure, includes programs, services, resources, and community and cultural development (Perrine, 2012).
2.3 Empirical Studies on Socio-Economic Benefits of