Largest Construction Projects In Africa – Many African countries are working to better manage resources to improve standard of living which includes transportation, food and energy security and preserve ecosystem services and traditional livelihoods.
Recently, Africa has embark on some of the world largest construction projects that are shaping the continent.
However, School Drillers have a list of these mega construction projects in Africa and their worth, whose construction cost runs into billions of dollars.
Largest Construction Projects In Africa.
1. Dangote Oil Refinery- Nigeria
Dangote refinery is largest construction projects in Africa right now with a capacity of 650,000 barrels per day. The project is an integrated refinery and petrochemical project under construction in the Lekki Free Zone near Lagos, Nigeria.
It is the Africa’s biggest oil refinery and the world’s biggest single-train facility, upon completion.
The project cost up to $15 billion in total, with $10 billion invested in the refinery, $2.5 billion in the fertilizer factory, and $2.5 billion in pipeline infrastructure. With a single crude oil distillation unit, the refinery will be the largest single-train refinery in the world
The refinery, which is expected to generate 9,500 direct and 25,000 indirect jobs, will produce Euro-V quality gasoline and diesel, as well as jet fuel and polypropylene.
2. Grand Inga Dam- Dr Congo
The Democratic Republic of Congo Grand Inga Dam project is the second largest project in Africa. The project is said to be one the world’s largest proposed hydroelectric scheme that could produce sufficient energy to power east, central and southern African countries.
The project on the Congo River could have up to eight separate dams that would produce 43,500MW (4.35GW) of electricity – more than twice the power generation of Three Gorges Dam in China, and over a third of the total electricity currently produced in Africa.
The project is worth 14 billion US dollars (7,958 billion FCFA), with an additional cost of 4 billion US dollars (2,276 billion FCFA) for power transmission.
The dam is designed to have an average output of 39,000 MW annually, nearly twice as much as the Three Gorges dam in China – making it the world’s largest hydropower scheme.
3. Egypt’s new capital city- Egypt
Egypt is moving forward with plans to build a massive new city east of Cairo that will function as the nation’s government and business capital.
Construction of housing units in a new, yet-to-be-named, administrative capital of Egypt has been completed but delivery will be within a year once key facilities have been installed.
Located 45 kilometres east of Cairo, the smart city has 21 residential districts and 25 commercial districts. The city will have a recreation park double the size of New York City’s Central Park, 90 square kilometres of solar energy farms, and several artificial lakes.
Other key features include a technology park, 40,000 hotel rooms, a theme park four times the size of Disneyland, 2,000 educational institutions, 1,250 mosques, 663 hospitals and clinics, and a new international airport.
The total cost of the venture is yet to be disclosed, but the city is indeed one of the biggest mega projects in Africa.
4. Konza Technology City- Kenya
The project is intended to be built 64 km south of Nairobi on the way to the port city of Mombasa, on 2,000 hectares (5,000 acres) of land in Machakos County. It is estimated to cost 1.2 trillion Kenyan shillings approx US$14.5bn.
Construction cost: Kshs 1.2 trillion
Location: Machakos County
Konza City, which is located 64 kilometres south of the capital Nairobi, is modelled around the US Silicon Valley hence the moniker “African Silicon Savanna”.
5. Lagos-Calabar Railway- Nigeria
Nigeria is almost concluded with the project worth US$11.117bn for the construction of the Lagos-Calabar coastal railway line in Nigeria.
The first segment of the rail line will comprise Port-Harcourt, Calabar, uyo and Aba. However, the first segment of the rail project is expected to be ready soon.
The project, which was initially contracted to a Chinese company, is being eyed by Ameri Metro Inc., based in the U.S., after the Chinese failed to raise the funds.
On completion, the Lagos-Calabar railway will connect the cities of Port Harcourt, Uyo and Aba thereby enhancing movement of goods and services in the region.
6. Bagamoyo Port- Tanzania
Tanzania has embarked on the construction of an $11 billion mega port at the Swahili historical town of Bagamoyo as it races to become a regional economic powerhouse.
At a cost of US $11bn, this mega infrastructure project is designed to become Africa’s largest port. The port should be able to handle 20 million containers annually once it’s fully completed by 2045. The project will position Tanzania into a regional economic powerhouse
Majorly funded by China, Bagamoyo Port is expected to handle 20 million containers a year by 2045, making it the largest such facility in East Africa.
The project is a tri-State venture between Tanzania, China, and Oman. State-owned China Merchants Port is building the port while an Omani sovereign wealth fund will establish a 1,700 hectare special economic zone adjacent to the port.
7. Modderfontein Mega City- South Africa
Modderfontein New City is a Chinese-funded $8 billion city that is being built in Modderfontein, Johannesburg-South Africa, as a hub for Chinese firms investing in Africa.
The 1,600 hectare metropolis, to be known as Modderfontein Mega City, is designed by the Shangai Zendai Group and is the company’s first venture estate.
Work for the proposed Modderfontein Mega City, whose groundbreaking was held in 2015, is expected to be completed in the next 15 to 20 years. The city will include commercial, industrial and residential components.
8. Kenya Standard Gauge Railway- Kenya
Kenya is building a 969-kilometre standard gauge railway from Mombasa to Malaba cost US$3.6 billion, the SGR is Kenya’s most expensive infrastructure project since independence.
The first phase of the project, which spans 472km from Mombasa to Nairobi, has been completed at a cost of $3.27 billion; while phase 2A from Nairobi to Naivasha (120km) is currently under construction at a cost of $1.5 billion.
On the other hand, phase 2B of the new railway – from Naivasha to Kisumu (270km) is set to cost $3.8 billion; while phase 2C, a 107km extension from Kisumu to Malaba, will consume $1.31 billion.
It is considered one of the biggest infrastructure projects to be carried out in Kenya, the standard gauge railway (SGR) line supports passenger and cargo transportation.
9. Mambila Hydroelectric Power Project- Nigeria
Nigeria is undertaking the construction of a mega hydropower dam as it seeks to boost its energy production.
When completed, Mambilla will become the largest single hydro power project in nigeria and the continent of Africa. The 3050MW Mambilla hydroelectric plant is expected to cost the sum of about $5.2 billion.
It will be connected to three dams across the Donga River in Taraba State, Nigeria. The facility will have a total installed capacity of 3,050MW of electricity.
10. Grand Ethiopian Dam- Ethiopia,
The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), formerly known as the Millennium Dam, is under construction in the Benishangul-Gumuz region of Ethiopia, on the Blue Nile River, which is located about 40km east of Sudan. The project is owned by Ethiopian Electric Power Corporation (EEPCO).
Work on the 6,000 MW dam began in 2011 and is now 70 per cent complete way behind the July 2017 completion date.
The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam will be one of the largest hydroelectric power plant in Africa, and the 7th largest in the world, once it gets completed. It is estimated that the reservoir will take five to 15 years to fill with water.
According research, “If Ethiopia fills the reservoir between five and seven year intervals, then Egypt’s water share of Egypt will be decreased by somewhere from 12 to 25 percent during the filling period.
