Two days of meetings and workshops with 12 companies in the natural stone and construction machinery fields with the aim of identifying business opportunities in the construction sector in the Horn of Africa country. Tomorrow also sees the visit by the Ethiopian Minister for Construction and Urban Development
After Egypt, Morocco and South Africa, it is now the turn of Ethiopia. Veronafiere makes its debut today in Addis Ababa with Building East Africa: two days (31 August-1 September) of seminars, b2b meetings and visits to company to discover the local construction market. On the strength of experience with Marmomacc and SaMoTer, the two international events dedicated to natural stone and site machinery, Veronafiere is accompanying 12 companies in these sectors to the capital city: nine Italian, two Egyptian and one Indian.
“This appointment adds another further stage to our network of international events and consolidates our presence in Africa,” said Giovanni Mantovani, CEO & Director General of Veronafiere. “Ethiopia is the continent's second most populous country and also among those with the most interesting development prospects in the construction sector, with expected growth of more than 11% per annum, following up 30% posted over the last two years.”
The Ethiopian Government has launched an ambitious investment plan to upgrade infrastructures. The most important project in the context is worth 1.9 billion euros and concerns the road network, with 1,846 km of new roads 21,290 km requiring repair.
In addition to two new dams generating 670 megawatts – joining the Koysha Dam, for which Salini-Impregilo won a contract worth 2.5 billion euros – there is also a project for urban renewal in Addis Ababa involving the construction of half a million housing units, six shopping centres, two hospitals, five stadiums and 60 multi-storey car parks.
These business opportunities will be at the core of the workshops scheduled on the opening day of Building East Africa. The event will also be attended by of Gebremeskel Challa, the Ethiopian Minister for Construction and Urban Development, and Giuseppe Mistretta, the Italian Ambassador in Addis Ababa.
The initiative organised by Veronafiere in collaboration with ICE-Italian Trade Agency Addis Ababa also has partners of the calibre of the Ethiopian National Associations of Builders and Architects, Unacea, Confindustria, Internationalia and BonelliErede.
Delegation of companies attending Building East Africa
- from Italy: Breton, Catenificio Rigamonti, Cifa, Donatoni Macchine, Indeco Ind., Lameter, Simec, Simem, Soilmec
- from Egypt: Chimica Edile Middle East For Chemicals, EgyMar
- from India: Village Craft Intl