It is a well-quoted fact that over the past five years, according to the 2015 IMF World Economic Outlook, six of the ten fastest growing economies globally were in Africa. It is forecasted that seven of the ten highest growth economies in the coming five years will be in Africa; to achieve this and to continue building on this momentum, accelerated infrastructure growth is imperative, specifically infrastructure growth that facilitates manufacturing and intra-African trade.

Energy, which is vital to support manufacturing growth, continues to be a key sector in the developing African infrastructure story. But investment and construction activity in transport has also come through strongly this year and it will continue for the coming years. This sector has eclipsed energy as the key sector seeing construction activity on the continent revealing significant investment in rail and ports. This reflects the continued economic growth on the continent, as ports and rail provide the backbone for intra-African and global trade, through facilitating the efficient movement of goods and commodities.

Africa’s rapidly growing middle class continues to drive demand for sustainable social infrastructure. Added to that, growth is being fuelled by continued investment in natural resources and agriculture.