The Civil Engineering Contractor November 2018 | Page 15

INFRA AFRICA
SOUTHERN AFRICA
ANGOLA
Shanghai and Hong Kong listed China Railway Construction
Corporation says it has completed construction of Angola’s
longest railway line. The Benguela railway line stretches
1 304km between Lobito (Benguela) and Luau (Moxico) in
east Angola. The construction contract involved rebuilding
67 stations and will allow a maximum train speed of
90km/h, with capacity for 20-million tonnes of cargo a year.
The reconstruction work was based on the gauge used in
China. The previous one was Portuguese and did not allow
speeds of more than 30km/h.
China Railway Construction Corporation is the second-
largest state-owned construction enterprise in China, just
after China Railway Engineering Corporation, and the
WEST AFRICA
CAMEROON
Cameroon’s Afcon 2019
preparations intensify
Angola rail transport is in the midst of a massive upgrade.
world’s top construction contractor by total revenue in
2012. The Angolan authorities estimate that the Benguela
Railway Line will have around 50 trains running on it each
day and will make it possible to transport four million
passengers. Portugal began construction of the line in 1899.
The connection to Luau was finished in 1929 and in 1931,
the Port of Lobito received by rail the first cargo of copper
from Katanga. nn
moved from January and February to June and July 2019. The
extra six months will enable the country to better prepare
for the competition. The imminent construction, in Yaounde,
of a polyvalent sports complex of international class with
an interest-free loan from the Chinese, a sports complex in
Olembe by the government, football training centre at Odza
by the world football governing body, FIFA, and a sports
complex in Mbankomo by the Confederation of African
Football, give reasons to hope that the future might be better.
At the 50 000-seat Japoma Stadium in Douala, project
manager Zeki Buzkurtz puts the progress rate at 40%.
The prefabricated materials for the tribunes have already
arrived in the country. The 21-day delay observed by the
CAF inspection mission was being recovered with 150 more
workers recruited to work day and night. At the 60 000
Olembe-Yaounde site, the project manager of the Italian firm
Guppo Piccini gave assurances that the stadium will take its
form in May, even though in February progress was evaluated
at just 30%. nn
As Cameroon prepares to receive another CAF (Confederation
of African Football) inspection team in June, work is
progressively proceeding at different sites. The head of
state’s assurance came in the wake of disparaging utterances
made by the CAF president on Cameroon’s preparedness to
host the popular continental sporting event. He said though
much was still to be done in terms of stadium construction,
building, and improving existing roads and hotel facilities, the
country will be ready, given that the tournament has been
Construction of Angola’s longest,
fastest rail line complete
Japoma football stadium in Cameroon’s capital of Douala.
www.civilsonline.co.za
CEC November 2018 | 13