Africa’s Diverse Needs Drive Infrastructure Investment Boom

Africa is a continent with diverse needs and opportunities for infrastructure development. Many countries are investing in large-scale projects to improve their transportation, energy, water, and urban sectors.

Here are some of the top 5 infrastructure projects in Africa that are currently underway or planned for the future.

1. *Grand Inga Dam*: This is the world’s largest proposed hydropower project, and it is being built on the Congo River in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

It is expected to generate 40,000 MW of power, enough to power nearly half of the continent. It is estimated that approximately US$80 billion will be required to complete the project, which will entail the installation of transmission lines across the continent.

2. Dangote Oil Refinery: This sets the stage to become the world’s largest single oil refinery, with a capacity of 650,000 barrels per day.

The facility, located in Nigeria, boosts economic growth and creates thousands of jobs. The refinery project costs a whopping US$14 billion and accounts for half of Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote’s vast assets. It also expects to increase the country’s oil exports and decrease its reliance on petroleum product imports.

3. *Bagamoyo Port*: This is set to become the largest port in East and Central Africa, with a capacity of 20 million containers per year.

Tanzania, China, and Oman are collaborating on the project, which will cost US$10 billion and take about 30 years to complete. The port will be connected to a 1,700-hectare special economic zone that will attract foreign investment and create jobs.

4. *New Capital City*: This is Egypt’s ambitious project to build a smart city 45 kilometers east of Cairo that will serve as the new administrative and financial hub of the country.

The city will have 21 residential districts and 25 commercial districts, as well as a recreation park twice the size of New York City’s Central Park, solar energy farms covering 90 square kilometers, and several artificial lakes. The city will also host the largest cathedral and mosque in Africa, as well as a new presidential palace and parliament building.

5. *Trans-Maghreb Highway*: This is a regional project that aims to connect five North African countries: Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, and Mauritania.

The highway will span about 2,300 kilometers and facilitate trade and tourism among the countries. The project is expected to cost US$11 billion and be completed by 2025 .