Identifying the most important public–private partnership risks in Afghanistan’s infrastructure projects

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to identify the major public–private partnership (PPP) risks in infrastructure projects in Afghanistan and explain the extent to which extent the identified risks can shed light on the PPP implementation study in general. Design/methodology/approach: Initially, 78 risks were identified through considering international laws and regulations, criteria for using PPP in developing and underdeveloped countries, and case studies. Later, 23 of the more important risks were determined, ranked and classified into five main groups. Findings: Finally, these risks were adapted with some investigations conducted in the PPP field. Although some of the risks identified in this survey are unique to Afghanistan, this research can be used to develop the application of PPP generally. Originality/value: PPP is one possible solution to finance infrastructure projects. However, there are a lot of risks, which make this method inefficient in Afghanistan. Therefore, identifying the risks of PPP can play an important role in improving the infrastructures of Afghanistan.