The 4,800-MW Medupi powerplant, near Johannesburg, is among the major projects that have fueled construction job growth in South Africa. Related Links: South Africa Powerplant Project Will Get More Environmental Monitoring South Africa Energy Raises Demand for Heavy Machinery Big South Africa Workers' Strike Settlement Ends Month of Construction Sector Disruption South Africa's construction sector led the country's third-quarter job growth due to the expansion of a government-financed public-works program and the government's backing of a renewable-energy build plan.Statistics South Africa, the country's economic data collection service, says 99,000 of 116,000 jobs created in the three-month period ended Sept. 30
Photo courtesy of Bouygues Construction Ivory Coast's new bridge will be Africa's first lagoon crossing. Rendering courtesy of JICA Tanzania's first cable-stayed bridge is facing a six-month delay due to unexpected soil conditions. Related Links: European, U.S. Firms Still Dominate Africa Infrastructure Market Africa Poised for LNG Boom Bridge-building is booming in Africa. Key projects are being unveiled or are under construction to give the region vibrant, efficient and economic transport corridors and boost the incomplete integration of their associated economies.Botswana and Zambia are hoping to commence construction of the delayed $259-million Kazungula Bridge over the Zambezi River, a critical
Courtesy Jeffreys Bay Wind Farm South Africa requires a fleet of modern cranes to meet wind-project demands, experts say. Related Links: Nigeria Cement Makers Grapple With New Regulations Wind Developers Active Across African Continent South Africa's construction of renewable-energy capacity and coal powerplants has created new opportunities for heavy-equipment suppliers, especially crane companies, after the government recently approved 64 new projects, valued at $14 billion.South Africa is constructing 3,916 MW of new renewable-energy capacity under the country’s 20-year energy plan, the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme. Also, in Medupi and Kusile, the country is constructing two $18.8-billion coal-fired
Construction of the $3.6-billion double-track standard gauge railway (1,435mm) linking Kenya’s Indian Ocean port city of Mombasa to the capital Nairobi could pose a fresh challenge for railway operators in East Africa interested in connecting with the modern rail line.Railway transport experts say the 609-kilometre high speed railway line is being constructed in a region where existing railway gauges are predominantly meter-gauge (1000mm) and cape gauge (1067mm). Kenya and Uganda operates 2,351-kilometres of meter gauge rail network while Tanzania operates 2,600-kilometers of both meter gauge and Cape gauge. It may need additional investments to harmonize the gauges to enable a
Structural collapse of a large home in an upscale Johannesburg, South Africa development that killed seven now is under investigation. Officials cite lack of site safety supervision. South African safety officials say the probe into the Aug. 18 collapse of a large home under renovation near Johannesburg that killed seven workers, including the site manager, won't be complete until November, but critics point to a continuing lack of site supervision on projects.The country's Dept. of Labor has set up an inquiry into the collapse at the upscale Meyersdal Eco-Estate, a housing development located in a nature reserve.Initial reports from survivors,
The developing Ebola crisis in West Africa has prompted some owners to halt projects in affected countries and evacuate employees and contractors. Others are stepping up measures to cushion their employees from the deadly virus that has killed at least 1,060 people and infected another 1,975 across Liberia, Nigeria, Guinea and Sierra Leone.Some forecasters see economic impacts from the outbreak on affected countries.Luxembourg-based steel and mining company ArcelorMittal announced earlier in August that it has suspended the second phase of its iron-ore expansion project in Liberia meant to increase shipments from 4 million tonne-per-year to 15 million by the end
Photo Courtesy of Kenya Pipeline Co. The 450-km, 20-in.-dia pipeline will link East Africa's trade gateway of Mombasa to Kenyas capital, Nairobi. Related Links: $650-Million Airport Project in Kenya Breaks Ground New Phase for Alaska's Massive LNG Pipeline Project Lebanese family-owned firm Zakhem International Construction is set to build a $490-million multi-product oil pipeline in Kenya after a petition challenging the award of the contract was thrown out in mid-July by a government procurement agency.The 450-kilometer, 20-in.-dia pipeline linking East Africa's trade gateway of Mombasa to Kenya’s capital, Nairobi, will ease transportation of fuel to the land-locked economies of Uganda,
Image courtesy of Frankfurt Zoological Society. Map highlights the proposed highway. Related Links: Court Ruling Endangers Serengeti Road Project Tanzania Drives On With Planned Road Through Serengeti Park A three-year suit challenging the construction of a 53-kilometer highway in Serengeti National Park, Tanzania’s World Heritage site, has ended, and the country has been permanently restrained from proceeding with the project.The First Instance Division of the East African Court of Justice ruled on June 20 that the project would violate the East African Community (EAC) Treaty, to which Tanzania is a signatory, and have a serious negative ecological impact in the
Related Links: Gas-Fired Projects Are Gaining Momentum Fertilizer Plants Popping Up Across Grain Belt Nigeria and Tanzania have approved plans for the construction of fertilizer production plants, now at different stages of development, as they seek private project developers to capitalize on their huge natural gas resources.West-Africa focused consortium Brass Fertilizer Company signed a deal with Engineers India Limited in late May to provide project management services for its upcoming integrated green field gas-based fertilizer complex comprising of urea/methanol plant at Brass Island, Nigeria. The value of the consultancy contract could not be immediately confirmed.Brass Fertilizer Company investors include a
Courtesy of Africa Political & Economic Strategic Center Strike by 200,000 union metalworkers in South Africa had disrupted materials delivery to construction sites and halted some projects. Two of South Africa largest workers unions have called off a crippling strike involving more than 200,000 engineers and mining and metals workers, which had starved construction contractors of materials and disrupted work at two of Africa’s largest coal-fired power plants.The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa accepted terms from the Steel and Engineering Federation of South Africa to raise salaries for the lowest paid workers up to 10% and reached compromise