Sub-Saharan Africa Airport Projects on the Increase

published Aug 11, 2015
1 min read

Africa Project Access to talk about findings at upcoming Infrastructure Africa Business Forum

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Press release

The African Development Bank estimates that the financial requirement to close Africa’s infrastructure deficit amounts to USD 93 billion annually until 2020. A large percentage of this shortfall relates to transport, mainly rail, roads and ports, but Africa’s airports also require attention.

There has been a particularly strong increase in the flow of airport projects in the sub-region. For the first eight months of 2015 alone, Africa Project Access has detected 25 new greenfields and brownfields airport projects for Sub-Saharan Africa, outside South Africa,”

says Paul Runge, Managing Director of Africa Project Access, a consultancy providing companies and organisations with early alerts of projects across a broad range of sectors in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding South Africa).

The new projects detected can be categorised as follows:

  • New planned Greenfield projects: 9
  • Expansion, Brownfields projects (airport infrastructure and linked commercial property development): 16

and these relate to:

  • Major international airports: 9
  • Smaller and regional airports: 16

In 2013, the larger airports in sub-Saharan Africa (over one million passengers per annum) handled approximately 56 million passengers. Although about half of this total was for South African airports, there has been a sharp rise in passenger and cargo handling at airports outside of South Africa,”

says Runge. According to the African Airlines Association, total global freight carried by African airlines has increased substantially and is nearing the one billion ton mark.

This interesting development is multi-focused and pertains to new planned international airports, expansion and rehabilitation of existing airports and a new focus on regional and provincial airports. Airports are being converted into commercial hubs including retail outlets and hotels. The Aeroropolis Project connected to OR Tambo airport is a good example.”

About the 4th Annual Infrastructure Africa Business Forum

The fourth annual Infrastructure Africa Business Forum, in partnership with Africa Project Access, is hosting an Air Transport Projects Roundtable Discussion at the event on the 1st of September at the Sandton Convention Centre.

The Air Transport Projects Roundtable Discussion, chaired by Africa Project Access, will take the form of a 1.5 hour afternoon of the Infrastructure Africa programme and will list and investigate these projects and identify opportunities for suppliers across a broad range of sectors and activities relating to aeronautical engineering, airport equipment supply, ICT solutions, support infrastructure, ancillary commercial property development etc.

The Roundtable provides an excellent opportunity to obtain early alert of new project opportunities as well as to make direct contact with key role players in the African air transport business.

With the aim of engaging with African governments and African infrastructure players, the two-day event and exhibition with business-matchmaking, will facilitate business connections for Africa’s build programmes and seek to unlock private sector opportunities in infrastructure projects.

Prominent African infrastructure players, government officials, infrastructure experts and business professionals have already confirmed their attendance. The event has the highest level of African and South African endorsement for an infrastructure event on the continent, and provides the business platform for private and public sector players seeking to meet the sector’s national and regional who’s who.

The event’s strategic partner is the Gauteng Department of Infrastructure Development (GDID), its founding partner is the NEPAD Planning & Coordinating Agency (NPCA).

For more information on the event, or to register your attendance at the Air Transport Projects Roundtable Discussion, please visit www.infrastructure-africa.com