Israel Africa | Business Guide | 2020

N ew residences, a new school building, a clinic and a sports yard - this is what it took for one village in Angola to turn into a town. When the construction project was completed, the residents could finally enjoy their right to medical care, education, and leisure time, without having to deal with issues like isolation, winter leakage, and poor medical hygiene. The builder of the Angolan town was an Israeli company, one of many that are active nowadays in setting up infrastructure projects all over Africa. Sometimes, while the actual fieldwork is being carried out by local construction workers, Israeli engineers and contractors are in direct charge of planning, managing andmonitoring the projects. Israeli involvement in the African construction sector had begun as early as the 1970 s, when Israeli companies built highways connecting Ethiopia and Kenya, the first office tower in Nairobi, and a vast tourism and light industry center in the Ivory Coast. In recent times, Africa has been Construction and new infrastructures are at the heart of modernization in Africa. Israeli builders help in doing just that By Sigal Gur gradually releasing itself from colonial regimes, and the newly built projects carry important symbolic significance. Cross-Country Progress Urbanization has also played a vital role in the development of infrastructural facilities in the Continent. In 2016 , urban population growth in Angola ( 3 . 52 %), Ethiopia ( 2 . 85 %), Nigeria ( 2 . 43 %), and South Africa ( 2 . 1 %) has been above theAfrican average of 2 . 09 %. Such steady growth in these developing economies is expected to drive an increase in infrastructure development activity. Governments across these emerging countries are investing large amounts in large-scale construction projects in order to strengthen commercial infrastructure and transport in their respective economies. This is expected to, in turn, create significant opportunities for Israeli-AfricanPublic-Private Partnership projects in construction. However, building residences in only one link in the chain. Africa is rich in natural resources such as oil, gems, minerals Building Bridges to Progress Israel Africa > Business Guide > 2020 44 > Sector Review > Construction & Infrastructures