As the civil engineering sector’s readiness to undertake large scale development and infrastructure projects was emphasised at the 2015 SAICE SAFCEC Awards, Clint Wicomb, PPC GM of Sales and Marketing: Coastal, says local industry is in a unique position.
As downstream suppliers such as PPC expand across the continent, they’re providing civil engineering firms with an ideal opportunity to enter new markets and countries and offer a range of sustainable turnkey solutions to meet Africa’s growth needs into the future.
With South Africa’s economic growth and infrastructure development under significant pressure, the collective construction industry, including civil engineers, are looking forward to government investing in critical projects across the country.
Wicomb added: “To this end, as PPC we would like to take this opportunity to reiterate to government and all stakeholders present that the industry is not only ready for this work, but we’re also capable.
Partnerships such as those between PPC, SAFCEC and SAICE are indicative of this ability and readiness, and we look forward to the next phase of infrastructure development starting.”
“Over the past decade, economic growth across Africa has trebled, with the IMF identifying six of the 10 fastest growing economies in 2014 as African. This translates into a critical need for infrastructure – as illustrated in Deloitte’s recent African Construction Trends Report.
This highlights that the net worth of mega-projects across the continent grew by a staggering 46.2% last year alone. This represents an increase of US$103billion, reaching a total investment value of US$326billion in 2014.”
RMB’s “Where to do Business in Africa” report notes that Africa has the fastest urbanisation rate globally, and further indicates that there are now over a thousand cities in Africa driving the growth of national economies. Cities like Lagos and Cairo rank in international megacities listings.
Wicomb said PPC’s own experience in Africa had taught the company that partnerships were crucial if one wanted to invest in the long-term future of the continent. “To this end, we are committed to working with SAICE and SAFCEC to build and enable an environment of innovation within companies and communities, and across African borders.
As we strive to achieve this, it is equally imperative that we pursue sustainability across our various disciplines in order to redefine the value we are able to add, and build and shape our cities and continent responsibly for future generations.”
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