Motive behind creation is different to outcome after 400 years.
The outcome after 400 years is the memory of the atrocities committed by these empires.
Any resulting infrastructure, physical or organisational, was absolutely not created for the benefit of the indigenous people.
It was created to fulfil the further pursuit of profit, wealth, power and influence. The fact that it still exists is pure coincidental.
In addition, these infrastructure projects would have undoubtedly been created by the indigenous people, if they wanted them! As it is or was, they had no choice in their creation. They were invariably forced to work in near slave-like conditions to create them.
Indeed such infrastructure, if created by indigenous people, and to meet local demand, could well have been far superior, more suited to local conditions and cultures with no perpetual conflicts created.
Moreover, they would still have the natural resources to buy any skills, or materials required to create such infrastructure.
It's almost impossible to imagine the kind of reparations that could be paid to properly compensate the people subjugated by imperial powers.