Infrastructure investor March 200 - Simon Griffiths

infrastructure investorin the pipelineIn his regular round-up of selected infrastructure projects in sub-Saharan Africa, Paul Rungeof INFRATREE finds the Karofina dry port open for business and much morePORTSThere is considerable pressure on Dar es Salaamto cope with increased freight traffic and therequirements of the central developmentcorridor. The port authorities are implementing aspecial corporate plan to improve productivity atthe port. The cost of the project for theenlargement of Djibouti Port is estimated at US$400m. It includes the construction of a newcontainer terminal at Doraleh, 10km fromDjibouti.The presidents of Mali, Burkina Faso andSenegal have inaugurated the Karofina dry port,situated north of the Mali capital of Bamako. Thesite covers six hectares and includes 14 hangars,two of which are refrigerated, as well asadministration buildings. The cost of the projectwas 8.3bn CFA francs ($16.3m). The projectforms part of a programme linking the port ofDakar to Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger.Meanwhile, the West African DevelopmentBank (BOAD) has approved a loan of CFA8bn($15.8m) for infrastructure rehabilitation at LoméPort in Togo.Further rehabilitation of Beira Port is due tocommence in April 2007, with the relevanttenders launching in March 2007. This wasannounced by Dutch firm Cornelder Moçambique.Exports through Beira registered 150,000 tons in2006, which was a 10% increase on the previousyear. The Zambezi Valley Programme and notablythe Moatize Coking Coal Project should improvethroughput at the port, although many feel thatthe natural deepwater site of Nacala would bemore appropriate._________________________________________AIRPORTSThe recent increase in airport projects continues.In Nigeria, the Abuja Gateway Consortium haswon a contract to enlarge Abuja Airport andmanage it for 25 years. Three contracts havebeen awarded for the 20-year Entebbe AirportDevelopment Programme. New work includes aVIP terminal, a general aviation block andpassenger bridges.The Zanzibar authorities have stated thatthere are a number of companies that haveexpressed interest in the expansion andrenovation of the tourist-heavy Zanzibar Airport.The project cost is estimated at $30m._________________________________________RAILChinese engineering company CCECC has beenappointed for the construction of the Lagos-Kanoline in Nigeria and hopes to complete the firstphase of the project within five years (see page48). The Nigerian President has made referencesto a large-scale programme that would link thecapitals of all 36 states by rail.54Senegal has purchased five locomotives and20 passenger wagons from India as part of therenovation of the 27km Dakar-Rifisque rail line._________________________________________ROADSThe AfDB is engaging in roads projects in theDemocratic Republic of the Congo. Two suchprojects are the Nsele-Lufimi and Kwanza-Kengeroads. The World Bank is funding theLubumbashi-Kasemeno road that will helpintegrate the copper producing areas of DRC’sKatanga Province. The proposed Lagos toll roadin Nigeria is receiving increasing attention. Thereare references to the use of smart-cardtechnology for the project._________________________________________POWERNew power projects are being proposed, largelyto meet the requirements of growing resourcesexploitation. The Zambian government isattempting to satisfy the electricity demandgenerated from the copper mining industry andhas listed a number of new and expansionprojects. Proposed projects include thedevelopment of a 750MW hydropower station onthe lower Kafue Gorge.Guinea has major bauxite reserves that haveled to the planning of large-scale aluminiumproduction projects. However, an essentialcomponent that is missing is electricity supply.The Guinea government has responded by listing14 new hydropower projects that are at variouspre-feasibility and feasibility study stages.The troubled Congolese power utility, SociétéNationale d’Electricité (SNEL), is calling on thegovernment to install a second transmission linelinking the Inga Hydro Plant to Kinshasa. Thecapital is experiencing serious power shortageswith the current deficit estimated at 170MW. Theshortage has been made worse by a recent theftof more than a kilometre of cable from theKinshasa-Matadi connection.The cost of the transmission line would be anestimated $300m.Investment is still being sought for theBatoka Hydro Power Project, situated some50km downstream of Victoria Falls. The Projectwould have the potential to produce 800MW. Theimplementing agency is the Zambezi RiverAuthority, which is a joint venture of Zambia andZimbabwe. It was hoped that the Project wouldbe launched early in 2007._________________________________________WATER & SANITATIONExpressions of interest are being invited fromconsultants for the Malawi Water SupplyProgramme. Zambia has received funding fromthe Arab Bank for the Economic Development ofAfrica (BADEA) for water supply rehabilitationprojects in six districts. Technical assistancefunding has also been raised for the country’swater distribution companies._________________________________________CONSTRUCTIONMulti-disciplinary firms and architects are beinginvited to pre-qualify for a new hospital in PortLouis, Senegal. The consulting firms must beexperienced in hospital construction projects.The contact e-mail is moh-piu@mail.gov.mu.There are plans for the development ofXefina Island in Maputo Bay. More than$250m will be invested in the island for theestablishment of hotels, restaurants and sportscentres. It is hoped that a bridge will beconstructed to link the island with the mainland atCosta do Sol.Comprehensive Africa Visit Reports compiledby Paul Runge are available. For moreinformation on these as well as otherproducts such as Project Databases andGuides to Donor Agencies, contact Paul at+27 11 4656770 or e-mail:afric.projs@pixie.co.za