Nairobi, April 12 -- Infrastructure is a critical enabler of long-term global economic growth, supporting prosperous societies, elevated standards of living, and every modern industry.

But the ongoing expansion and evolution of what infrastructure comprises has transformed its definition, demanding a fundamental mindset shift among governments, investors, and industry operators about how to fund, build, use, and maintain it. Even as infrastructure verticals are evolving individually, their new intersections form another aspect of evolution.

Global population growth, economic development, and technological advances are creating massive demand for infrastructure across the world-not only more of the familiar elements but also new kinds al...