Africa Construction

Deep in debt from a decade of economic stagnation and years of civil war, Côte d’Ivoire cannot do it alone. That is why its government, led by former International Monetary Fund (IMF) economist Alassane Dramane Ouattara, is working to woo private partners to rebuild the resource-rich West African nation. Over the past 10 years, Côte d’Ivoire has...

The cement industry looks set for a shake-up in the coming 12 months. With new supply coming to market and the major local players regrouping following the Competition Commission’s cartel ruling against them, pricing may begin to head in a more positive direction for the construction industry.

The current global financial woes have hit property around the world as hard as any other sector. Weak export markets, a sluggish local economy, as well as poor business and consumer sentiment have all hindered the performance of local property activity in many markets, including South Africa.

Looking at the skyline of any major South African city, you will see far fewer cranes than during the construction surge that occurred in the past decade, when the prospects of hosting the FIFA World Cup led to a huge building drive incorporating everything from stadia and hotels to large-scale transport infrastructure projects. More so than any...

One of the best performing segments of the real estate sector over the past 12 months has been commercial office property. The office segment achieved an 11.2% overall return (income and capital) in 2012, the best performer outside industrial real estate and well above the sector average of 10.4% (retail had a return of 10.1%). Even so, the...

As in many emerging economies, public spending on infrastructure and social programmes has stimulated Morocco’s construction industry, despite the global economic downturn that has greatly affected the sector in both the US and Europe. Social housing programmes have been a driving force in the industry a trend that is set to continue for the...