November 2008

International : Tallest Building in China Breaks Ground

Shangai Tower



Design completes super-tall district, showcases sustainable public space.

Shanghai (Vocus) November 28, 2008 -- Groundbreaking ceremonies held today mark the start of construction on Shanghai Tower. The 632-meter building designed by Gensler, a leading global architectural design firm, advances sustainable design strategies and gives prominence to public spaces. The Shanghai Tower Construction & Development Co., Ltd., is the project’s developer. Thornton Tomasetti structural engineers, Cosentini Associates mechanical, electrical and plumbing engineers and the Architectural Design and Research Institute of Tongji University as the Local Design Institute will support Gensler. The development is slated for completion in 2014.

Angola : Architect defends mapping out of areas for social housing

Luanda - The chairman of the Angolan Architects Order, António Gameiro, Thursday in Luanda spoke out for demarcation of municipal areas for the construction of social houses, as a measure to avoid the upsurge of disorderly compounds.

Speaking at the seminar on "Present and future of construction materials in Angola", the architect said that the measure will contribute to the orderly development of residential areas and discourage unruly construction by individuals.

Nigeria: Housing - FG Sacks FHA Boss

Nigeria: Housing - FG Sacks FHA Boss - Federal Government yesterday approved the immediate removal from office of the Acting Managing Directing of the Federal Housing Authority, Mr. Felix Koyenkan. [AA Urbanisation]

Nigeria: Chinese Engineers Arrive for Port Harcourt Ring Road Project

Nigeria: Chinese Engineers Arrive for Port Harcourt Ring Road Project - Chinese engineers who are to handle the construction of the $1 billion (about N117 billion) Port Harcourt Ring Road project have arrived and held talks with the Rivers State government to fine tune the agreements preparatory to the commencement of the job. [AA Urbanisation]

Nigeria: Reprieve As 10-Lane Lagos/Badagry Road Gets Underway

Nigeria: Reprieve As 10-Lane Lagos/Badagry Road Gets Underway - The Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, has estimated that the planned expansion of the 48-year-old Lagos-Badagry Expressway to a 10-lane expressway will cost about N220 billion. Fashola, who made this known recently, stated that the road design had been completed, and was elated at the prospective economic impact the project will have on the state and the country at large when completed.

Cameroon: Governor Wants Wayward Contractors Sanctioned

Cameroon: Governor Wants Wayward Contractors Sanctioned - The Governor of the East Region, Lélé Lafrique Adolph, has exhorted the East Regional representative of the National Order of Civil Engineers, known by its French acronym, ONIGC, Ayissi Nicaise, to bring errant contractors to order. [AA Construction]

South Africa 2008-11-28 : R140m Metrorail station to be built near Moses Mabhida Stadium

R140m Metrorail station to be built near Moses Mabhida Stadium - By Siboniso Ntuli
Durban - Metrorail KwaZulu-Natal has set aside an amount of R140 million to build a new train station next to the Moses Mabhida Stadium.
Acting Manager Business Development Danny Hattingh announced this on Tuesday during a briefing on Metrorail's preparations towards the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Uganda: Who is in Charge of Kampala City?

Uganda: Who is in Charge of Kampala City? - SUBMISSIONS before the commission probing the alleged abuse of power in Makindye and Kawempe divisions have raised more questions than answers about the management of Kampala. [AA Urbanisation]

Nigeria: Between Uyo Entertainment Centre And Abuja Waterparks

Nigeria: Between Uyo Entertainment Centre And Abuja Waterparks - The proposed Entertainment Centre by Governor Akpabio on about 6-hectres of land would when completed host the tallest building in Akwa Ibom of a 250-room Hotel, 10,000-seater Dome, a Water Fall and Shopping Mall. While the Abuja Waterparks Island being proposed by private investors would be on a 10-hectres of land beside the only Lake in the heart of FCT within Cadastral Zone 1, Kado District.

Angola: Government Invests in Construction Materials Industry

Angola: Government Invests in Construction Materials Industry - Angolan deputy minister of Public Works, Manuela Bezerra, said Wednesday in Luanda that the Government is carrying out a programme designed to re-activate the construction materials industry in the country. [AA Construction]

Zambia: Nigerian Investor to Build Luxury 'City' in Lusaka

Zambia: Nigerian Investor to Build Luxury 'City' in Lusaka - A NIGERIAN investor will set up a US $250 million sub-urban centre in Palabana area in Lusaka district with all modern facilities. [AA Construction]

New Gas Fields Discovered in Inhambane

New Gas Fields Discovered in Inhambane - New Gas Fields Discovered in Inhambane - A consortium headed by the South African petro-chemical giant SASOL has discovered two new fields of natural gas, off the coast of the southern Mozambican province of Inhambane. [AA Network News] [AA Mozambique]

Nigeria: Between Uyo Entertainment Centre And Abuja Waterparks

Nigeria: Between Uyo Entertainment Centre And Abuja Waterparks - The proposed Entertainment Centre by Governor Akpabio on about 6-hectres of land would when completed host the tallest building in Akwa Ibom of a 250-room Hotel, 10,000-seater Dome, a Water Fall and Shopping Mall. While the Abuja Waterparks Island being proposed by private investors would be on a 10-hectres of land beside the only Lake in the heart of FCT within Cadastral Zone 1, Kado District.

Nigeria : NSE President Berates FG for Rejecting Professional Advice

NSE President Berates FG for Rejecting Professional Advice - NSE President Berates FG for Rejecting Professional Advice - THE President of the Nigeria Society of Engineers, Kashim Abdul Ali, has lamented the inability of the government to consider their advice in spite of their advices on sensitive issues. [Nigeria News : All Africa] [AA Nigeria]

Dr. Anthony Turton : Three Strategic Water Quality Challenges that South Africa should know about.


"Dr. Anthony Turton, an expert on hydropolitics and transboundary water resources was recently suspended by the Council on Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) for attempting to speak out about the impending water crisis in South Africa.", Zoopy.com

Dr Anthony Turton’s keynote presentation "A Clean South Africa" was to be delivered at the CSIR’s Science Real and Relevant Conference in Pretoria on the 19th of this month - it did not happen. The CSIR said in a statement that “Dr Turton elected to engage with the media on the matter of the withdrawal of his presentation, despite internal avenues that are available, and in contravention of organisational policy. An internal investigation has been started and Dr Turton was suspended on Friday November 21 2008”.

Dr Turton's presentation, "Three Strategic Water Quality Challenges that Decision-Makers Need to Know About and How the CSIR Should Respond", is available below for download in PDF format, as is a video interview by Terri Hayward of Zoopy Productions.

Zimbabwe : Desperate Country Looks for a Political Solution

Desperate Country Looks for a Political Solution - Desperate Country Looks for a Political Solution - Zimbabwe's feuding political parties are meeting in South Africa this week to again try salvaging a moribund political agreement that is stalling the release of much-needed humanitarian aid. [All Africa : Zimbabwe] [AA Zimbabwe]

Uganda: Tirupati to Set Up $10 Million Mall

Uganda: Tirupati to Set Up $10 Million Mall - Tirupati Development (U) Limited, one of the construction companies in Uganda is to set up a US$10m shopping mall along Nsambya-Ggaba Road. [AA Construction]

Namibia: Ongwediva Gets Shopping Mall

Namibia: Ongwediva Gets Shopping Mall - A 10 000-square-metre shopping mall is being built at Ongwediva by Makalani Real Estate in conjunction with Tuhumeko Property Developers and M.R. Scmidt Construction at a cost of N$54 million. [AA Construction]

Nigeria: Stable Building Materials Prices Ignite Construction Activities

Nigeria: Stable Building Materials Prices Ignite Construction Activities - It has been observed that construction activities across the country have been at their highest peak in the year and that despite the huge construction works going on, prices of building materials have remained stable in the market. [AA Construction]

Nigeria: Developers Speed Up Umuahia Market Project

Nigeria: Developers Speed Up Umuahia Market Project - For the people of South East, Nigeria, whose most thriving industry is commerce and trade, the building of Umuahia Ultramodern Market is about all the leverage the people need to prosperity. [AA Construction]

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Nigeria: Committee Summons Contractors Over Slow Pace

Nigeria: Committee Summons Contractors Over Slow Pace - Presidential Committee on Barracks Rehabilitation (PCBR), has invited four contractors to appear before it in Abuja. [AA Construction]

Angola : 2008-11-24 Can2010 Stadium Inspectors Satisfied

Angola: Can2010 Stadium Inspectors Satisfied - The head of the team of inspectors for the African Football Cup of Nations Angola will host in 2010, Raou Raoua Mohamed, said Thursday in Luanda he is satisfied with the pace in the construction of the stadiums for the competition in the capital. [AA Construction]

Zimbabwe: Developer to Build 185 Houses in Byo

Zimbabwe: Developer to Build 185 Houses in Byo - A property developer, Hawkflight Enterprises, has been given the go ahead to build 185 houses in Pelandaba West and has been ordered to start work "as a matter of urgency". [AA Construction]

Angola: Government Spends Over AKZ 500 Billion in Infrastructures Repair

Angola: Government Spends Over AKZ 500 Billion in Infrastructures Repair - Angolan Government spent about 60 percent of the global public investment expenditures, an amount estimated at about Akz 560 billion, in the repair of various socio-economic infrastructures in the country in 2007, Angop learned. [AA Urbanisation]

South Africa : Public to comment on school infrastructure policies

By Gabi Khumalo

Pretoria - The Department of Education has invited interested people and organisations to comment on the National Policy for School Infrastructure and National Minimum Norms and Standards for School Infrastructure.

The policies gazetted by the department recently aim to regulate and formalise the provision of school infrastructure.

In September 2007, Cabinet recommended that the department explore innovative ways of accelerating the provision of school infrastructure and eradicate school infrastructure backlogs.

World : Cities Alliance 2008 Annual Report


The Cities Alliance is pleased to announce the publication of its 2008 Annual Report. Key highlights in this year’s report include:

The growth in the number of client or country executed projects or activities, in line with the Cities Alliance new Medium Term Strategy which promotes city and country ownership of projects. Among the current active or newly approved projects, 13 percent are executed by local authority and nearly 40 percent more by a country partner. This is in contrast with the profile of grant funding during the first four years of the Alliance’s launch (FY 00 – 03), when only seven percent of projects were executed by a ;local authority and an additional 15% by a country client. Today, approximately half of Cities Alliance projects are already under country execution.

The State of Rural Development in Namibia

The State of Rural Development in Namibia - The State of Rural Development in Namibia - THE story of rural development, or lack of it, starts in the cities. [All Africa - Namibia] [AA Namibia]