The Civil Engineering Contractor May 2018 | Page 11

INFRASTRUCTURE AFRICA
WEST AFRICA
ANGOLA
The satellite city aims to reduce traffic
congestion in Kampala, pictured here.
Angola leads Chinese financing
for energy infra
EAST AFRICA
According to a recent study from Boston University in
the United States, Angola is the African country that has
received the most Chinese funding for the construction of
energy infrastructure since 2000.
The Boston University Global Development Policy
Centre study reports that over the past 18 years, China
has provided funding of about USD34.8-billion for energy
infrastructure in African countries, of which USD8.9-
billion to Angola, well above Nigeria (USD6.6-billion).
Zambia, Uganda, and South Africa received Chinese
loans of more than USD2-billion over the same period,
Sudan USD1.6-billion, and the remaining African
countries USD11-billion.
In Angola, China has focused on financing the
construction of the Caculo Cabaça Dam.
The new dam, whose first stone was laid in August 2017,
will be the largest power plant in the country, and the
construction project received funding of USD4.5-billion
granted by the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China.
The new Caculo Cabaça Dam in the Kwanza Basin will
enable Angola to reach the goal of 9 000MW of installed
capacity across the country by 2025, as well as exporting
electricity to neighbouring countries.
The report outlines that the proportion of Chinese
funding for energy infrastructure in Africa has been
increasing relative to other regions and that last year,
this continent received the most from these capital flows
(USD6.8-billion), above Southeast Asia (USD5.8-billion).
The latest report by the Economist Intelligence Unit
(EIU) on Angola said that relations with China will
be given “high priority” by the Angolan authorities, as
reflected in the recent agreement on entry visas between
the two countries.
UGANDA
The Nakigalala area along the Kampala-Entebbe Expressway
has been earmarked by the Ugandan government for the
establishment of a satellite city, with an aim of decongesting
the capital, Kampala.
According to the State Minister for Urban Development,
Isaac Musumba, Nakigalala will be the first ultra-modern city
in Uganda with three more to follow.
“In this satellite city development plan, the government’s
role is to identify the land and invite experts to work on
the physical development master plan to allow for the
construction of the buildings,” Musumba said.
He said that the government has invited a team of consultants
seconded by the Malaysian government to plan for the satellite
city, adding that the actual development of the 1 200-hectare
land will be done through the private sector.
“The government identified the land and talked to the
owner, who is willing to sell to those investors who want to
construct houses that are fitting the plan that will be handed
to government by the consultant engineers. The government
will not have to spend any money on land since the city will
be built by private developers,” Musumba said.
The satellite city’s master plan and design process being
worked on by consultants from Malaysian Incorporated
Services Berhad will cost about USD2-million — a grant
from the Malaysian government.
Musumba warned that government will not accept
Nakigalala to be a ‘Chinese city’ by allowing only investors
from the Asian countries to build houses at the expense of
local investors.
Norliza Hashim, the director of Malaysian Incorporated
Services Berhad and who heads the consultancy team, said
that the government of Uganda approached its Malaysian
counterpart to assist in designing the master plan for the
satellite city of Nakigalala.
“The government of Uganda sent officials to Malaysia and
we si gned a memorandum of understanding in December last
year. We are supposed to do the work in six months before
the master plan is approved by cabinet in one year’s time,”
Hashim said.
Satellite city in Wakiso, Uganda
A billboard in Beijing promotes the Forum on China-Africa
Co-operation. The Chinese government is seeking to gain a
foothold in developing countries, with focus on Africa.
CEC May 2018 - 9