News Comoros archipelago gets $135m to upgrade ports The African Development Bank (AfDB) is lending the Union of the Comoros $135m so it can improve its ports to boost trade. Comoros is an archipelago of three islands in…
News Morocco starts process of building Africa’s first wind farm Morocco is looking for a consultant to do a feasibility study on an offshore wind project that could be Africa’s first. The Moroccan Agency for Sustainable Energy (Masen) and the…
News Firms pledge to lay 1,000km cable to bring African solar power to Europe Belgian marine contractor Jan De Nul and Australian mining company Fortescue have pledged to lay a 1,000km subsea transmission line to carry solar power from Africa to Europe. The agreement…
News Angola hatches plan for southern African power grid Angolan engineer ProMarks and Swiss commodity trader Trafigura yesterday signed a memorandum of understanding with the Government of Angola to develop a southern African power transmission network. The aim is…
News Nigerian mobile operator MTN to build West Africa’s largest data centre MTN Nigeria announced on Saturday that it was planning to build West African largest data centre, business website Nairametrics reports. The company, which is based in South Africa, has not…
News Acciona starts work on Africa’s biggest desalination plant A consortium led by Spanish contractor Acciona has broken ground in Morocco on what will be Africa’s largest desalination plant at Lamharza Essahel, about 40km south of Casablanca. The $650m…
News China begins work on 575km Saharan railway China Railway Construction Corporation (CRCC) has begun work on a 575km railway through the Sahara desert, between the Algerian iron ore mine at Gara Djebilet and the Moroccan rail system,…
News African bank debars Chinese contractor The African Development Bank (AfDB) has debarred contractor China Henan International Cooperation Group from bidding for projects the bank funds for a year for a fraudulent practice. China Henan failed…
News African Development Bank to fund rail link between Burundi and Tanzania The African Development Bank (AfDB) has agreed to loan $696m for a rail link between Burundi and Tanzania as part of Africa’s Central Corridor. The 651km route will be split…
News China Harbour to help turn Libyan city into “gateway to Africa” Beijing-based China Harbour Engineering, a subsidiary of China Communications, has signed an agreement in principle to build infrastructure in the Misurata Free Zone (MFZ) in Libya. Located on the coast…
News G7 launches $600bn trans-African railway to counter China’s Belt and Road The US and the EU have joined forces with the African Development Bank (AFDB) and the Africa Finance Corporation to launch the west’s latest attempt to counter China’s Belt and…
Trends Report warns of ‘Great Game’ politics in Africa after China’s rise A report this month highlights China’s newly dominant role in Africa won through infrastructure investment.
News 3D printer for Africa launched by Holcim and UK government A printer intended for use in Africa has been launched by a joint venture between Swiss cement maker Holcim and the UK government’s British International Investment (BII) agency. 14Trees says…
News Chinese contractor to build home for Africa’s human rights court A subsidiary of China Railway Group has won a contract to build the headquarters of the African Court on Human and People’s Rights in Tanzania, the East African newspaper reports.…
News West African states urged to make a start on ‘daunting’ $15bn highway The governments of five West African states held more talks last month about a long-discussed $15bn highway connecting Nigeria and Côte d’Ivoire, taking in Benin, Togo, and Ghana along the…
Perspectives We already know how to build sustainably in Africa. Let’s just do it The African population is expected to reach 2.4 billion people in 2050. Some 80% of that growth will occur in cities, and 70% of the buildings needed by 2040 are…
News Sierra Leone opens first new air terminal since independence Sierra Leone’s President Julius Maada Bio has opened the country’s first new international airport terminal since independence in 1961. The $270m facility is three times the size of the existing…
News Work begins on Liberia’s first post-war public library Work has started on what will be Liberia’s only public library after a devastating period of civil war in the West African country. Designed by Canadian architect McCallumSather, the project…
