Eko Atlantic leads emerging African cities promising homes for over 800,000 residents
Eko Atlantic City, variously described as Africa’s Dubai, tomorrow’s Lagos and Lagos of the 21st century, is leading the pack of seven new cities under construction across Africa which altogether promise homes for over 800,000 residents.
These cities include Kiamba in Angola, Konzo Techno City in Kenya, Apolonia and King City in Greater Accra and Western Ghana; Tatu City in Nairobi, capital of Nairobi, La Cite du Fleuve in Kinshasa, the capital of the Republic of Congo, and Hope City also in Accra, Ghana.
Eko Atlantic, a joint venture between South Energyx Nigeria Limited and Lagos State government, is a multi-billion dollar residential and business development that will be located on Victoria Island in Lagos, along its up market Bar Beach coastline.
The ambitious project is being built on 10 square kilometers of land reclaimed from the Atlantic Ocean and is expected to provide upscale accommodation for 250,000 people and employment opportunities for a further 150,000 who will commute to and fro the city on daily basis.
Kilamba, a ghost town in Angola, is a grandiose project which analysts often label as a white elephant. Built afresh, outside the capital Luanda, Kilamba was designed to accommodate hundreds of thousands of people but remains largely empty due to its expensive housing and unfavorable location.
According to the developers, Rendeavour, the objective of the project is to provide the basic infrastructure, planning and necessary management framework in creating satellite cities that reverses the current trend of unplanned development and urban congestion in most of Africa’s growing cities.
Konza Techno City is the Kenyan government’s flagship mega project designed to foster the growth of the country’s technology industry. The multi-billion dollar city, located on a 5,000-acre plot of land, some 60 kilometers southeast of the capital Nairobi, aims to create nearly 100,000 jobs by 2030. It will feature a central business district, a university campus, urban parks and housing to accommodate some 185,000 people.
Designed by Rendeavour, the urban development branch of Moscow-based Renaissance Group, Appolonia and King City will be located in Greater Accra and Western Ghana, respectively. The mixed-use satellite cites are expected to accommodate more than 160,000 residents on land developed for housing properties, retail and commercial centers, as well as schools, healthcare and other social amenities.
The developer reveals that all baseline studies, master plans and detailed designs have been completed and approved, while basic infrastructure work in Appolonia is expected to begin in the third quarter of 2013.
Tatu City is also being developed by Rendeavour and will span 1,035 hectares of land, some 15 kilometers from Nairobi. It is designed to create a new decentralised urban center to the north of the bustling Kenyan capital. Construction work began last May and the whole project is projected to be completed in 10 phases by 2022. When the project is finalised, the city is expected to be home to 77,000 residents.
La Cite du Fleuve is a luxurious housing project planned for two islands on the Congo River in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo and one of Africa’s fastest growing cities.