Top 10 most expensive construction projects in Africa(2020)

For a long period, the African continent was lagging behind in infrastructure development but this is changing. With a growing economy and a booming young population in Africa, the construction industry has seen a surge in mega construction projects ranging from huge hydro dams, road and railway networks to skyscrapers as compared to the past century. In previous years, Africa has had a surge in projects that are changing the face of the continent. These projects are some of the most expensive projects the continent has ever known, and with their completion, they will be of heavy impact to the economy of involved countries. The following are the major projects that are being put in place.

New Administrative Capital (Egypt)

Located 45 kilometers east of Cairo, between roads connected the metropolis to the canal city of Suez and the red sea resort town of Ain Sokhna .the city is expected to draw a population of 7 million people in the first face.

Mooted in march 2015,the $58 billion new administrative capital is part of the Egyptian government’s plan to expand urban areas to deal with the country’s rapid population growth rate and improve the nation’s infrastructure.

The NAC will include Egypt’s parliament, 34 government ministries and a presidential complex, a new airport, a central business (CBD), the 385m-high, 80-floor Iconic Tower which will be the tallest not only in Egypt but in the whole of Africa, and a park double the size of New York’s Central Park. Meanwhile, students will benefit from an array of cutting-edge facilities to be found in around 2,000 educational institutions. The new city will also include a technology and innovation park, over 1,000 mosques and 40,000 hotel rooms.

With over 70% of the infrastructure works for the first phase of the NAC already completed at the beginning of 2020 , the government moved 34 government ministries — including the presidential complex — to the new capital.

Standard Gauge Railway Project(Kenya)

The Mombasa–Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway is a standard gauge railway(SGR) in Kenya that connects the large Indian ocean city of Mombasa with Nairobi, the country’s capital and largest city. This SGR runs parallel to the narrow gauge Uganda railway that was completed in 1901 under British colonial rule.

At a cost of US$3.6 billion, the SGR is Kenya’s most expensive infrastructure project since independence. The prime contractor was the China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC), which hired 25,000 Kenyans to work on the railway.

Grand Inga Dam(DRC)

The US $80 billion Grand Inga Dam project includes a dam and a 4,800MW hydroelectric plant at Inga Falls on the mighty Congo River. The Inga 3 BC hydropower scheme is the first phase in the construction of the gland Inga hydropower project, located 225 Km from Kinshasa ,and 150Km upstream of the mouth of congo to the Atlantic ocean. The Grand Inga scheme has been in the cards as far back as the early 1950s.

Konza Technopolis(Kenya)

Konza technology city is one of the mega construction projects in Africa . This is a smart city that is coming up in the eastern part of the country 64 km from the capital Nairobi. The project will cost $14.5 billion.Konza will be a sustainable,world-class technology hub and a major economic driver for Kenya

The project is part of the country’s vision 2030 blueprint.Its expected to generate about 17,000 direct high-value jobs,and a further 68,000 indirect jobs once completed.

Mambila Hydroelectric Power Project(Nigeria)

The $5.8 billion Mambila project is one of the mega construction projects in Africa. The 3,050 MW project is in the state of Tambila,when completed it will be the largest power-generating installation in the country and one of the largest hydroelectric power stations in Africa.

Pinnacle Towers(Kenya)

The $200 million project spearheaded by two large Dubai -based investors,Hass Petroleum and White Lotus , the project is located at Upper hill, a fast-growing financial hub in Nairobi.

The 900- feet twin pinnacle tower will have 70 floors including a 45-floor Hilton Hotel,20-floors of offices,200 residential houses,3-floor basement parking, gaming zone,3-floor luxury mall, helipad, and Africa’s highest viewing deck.

Rabat Bouregreg Tower (Morocco)

The project is being spearheaded by China Railway Construction Corporation,Morocco’s BMCE Bank of Africa and Travaux Generaux de Construction Casablanca -Morocco’s leading construction Company

Standing 250metres high , with 55 floors, and covering an area of 86,000 m2,the building will be the tallest tower in Africa. The tower will adopt ecological and sustainable design concepts.It will include a hotel, offices and luxury apartments.The project will cost $375 million

Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam(Ethiopia)

The $4.4billion project has been under construction since 2011, its located in the Benishangul-Gumuz Region of Ethiopia, about 15km east of Sudan border. At 6,450MW, the dam will be the largest hydroelectric power plant in Africa and the 7 th largest in the world.

As of August 2017,the work stood at 60% compilation. Once completed the reservoir will take 5 to 15 years to fill with water.

Huge Solar Park in Tunisia

The 4.5GW mega-project by Tunul would pipe electricity to Malta, Italy and France using submarine cables. The resulting solar complex would sprawl over an area three times the size of Manhattan, harnessing the power of the Sahara sun with several towers upto 200m tall.

Hundreds of thousands of parabolic mirrors would reflect sunlight into these towers, heating molten salts within them that will, in turn, broil water, generating enough steam to power turbines that could electrify 2million european homes

The Lapsset Corridor Program(Kenya)

The LAPSSET Program is Eastern Africa’s largest and most ambitious infrastructure project bringing together Kenya, Ethiopia, and South Sudan

This mega project consists of seven key infrastructure projects starting with a new 32 Berth port at Lamu(Kenya), Interregional highways from Lamu to Isiolo, Isiolo to Juba(South Sudan),Isiolo to Addis Ababa(Ethiopia), and Lamu to Garsen (Kenya).

Crude oil pipeline from Lamu to Isiolo, Isiolo to Juba. Product oil pipeline from Lamu to Addis Ababa. Interregional Standard railway lines from Lamu to Addis Ababa and, Juba via Isiolo and Nairobi to Isiolo. 3 international airports one each at Lamu, Isiolo, and Lake Turkana.Three resort cities and the multipurpose High Grand Falls along the Tana River. The cost is approximated to be over $13 billion.

Contributor: John Thuku