“We are incredibly proud to be involved in some of the biggest infrastructure projects across Africa, including the $1.5 billion Tema Port Expansion Project for Meridian Port Services in Ghana,” said Joe Ndala, AECOM’s Managing Director of South Africa and Chief Financial Officer for the African operation. “By consolidating our presence in Africa and bringing it together with our Middle East business, we’re able to focus on solving the region’s most significant infrastructure challenges, including improving water- and transport-related infrastructure and broadening industrial capacity.”
One of the priorities for the newly consolidated region is to promote awareness among the firm’s client base of the company’s extensive suite of services, which includes the latest Building Information Modelling (BIM) technologies and Artificial Intelligence (AI). Such technology is being deployed not only for project management, but also for quality, cost control and maintenance.
Mr. Ndala’s recent appointment to the managing director role coincides with additional leadership changes across the region, including Bridget Ssamula’s promotion to managing director for East Africa. Additionally, the Middle Eastern and African regions will merge under the leadership of Hamed Zaghw as chief executive and Jason Kroll as chief operating officer.
“With the restructuring of our businesses in Africa, our teams are more agile and better equipped to help our clients implement strategic innovations, help to reduce their costs and addressing their various needs,” Mr. Ndala comments.
In relation to the R400 billion infrastructure fund announced by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa to kickstart the local economy, Mr. Ndala sees this opportunity as a medium- to long-term project pipeline. “Electricity is not only a vital resource for modern infrastructure, but also part of the foundation to economic growth.”
In addition to South Africa, Mr. Ndala points to Mozambique, Tanzania, Angola and Uganda as promising markets, especially in terms of the oil and gas industry, which represents a major growth opportunity in Africa and an area in which the firm can leverage its Middle Eastern experience and expertise.