Bechtel opens African regional office in Kenya

US contractor Bechtel has opened an African regional office in Nairobi as a base for projects in east Africa and throughout the continent.

Andrew Patterson, Bechtel’s regional president for Africa (Bechtel)

Andrew Patterson, Bechtel’s president for Africa, said: “Our new office in Nairobi presents an opportunity to focus on building stronger relationships with our customers and their communities.

“We are excited about creating a permanent presence in Africa to support our customers in delivering large infrastructure, oil and gas and mining projects.”

“More than the physical assets we leave behind, Bechtel constructs the enabling environment that benefits society for the long term. This includes building the capacity of local workers, businesses, and communities and having a shared vision and plan to transition local-content programmes toward economic development.”

In September last year, the firm and the US government registered an interest in building a six-lane highway between the Kenyan capital and Mombasa, east Africa’s largest port.

Bechtel say it has worked in the continent for 70 years on hundreds of projects. Up until now, its main involvement has been with Gabon in west Africa, where it has been working since 2010 to implement a $25bn national infrastructure plan.

In April this year Brendan Bechtel became the fifth generation of his family to lead the San Francisco-based company since it came into being 119 years ago.