The project has been slow to really emerge from the vast plains of the Machakos and Makueni districts, 70 km south-east of Nairobi. Yet the first phase of this vast futuristic complex is now well under way. More than seven years after it was launched by the Kenyan government - which had announced a contribution of more than 780 million dollars to its financing, but did not make it a reality until 2013 - the project is now well underway, Konza Technopolis begins to take shape A complex created for a new generation of high-tech companies, data centres, call centres and assembly industries, as well as a vast research-based educational centre, a science park, hospitals, international hotels, a convention centre and a residential area.
Of course, the Pharaonic $14.5 billion project failed to be finalised last year, when it was estimated that over 200,000 people would work and live on the site. A number of administrative hurdles, as well as the Covid epidemic, all played their part, significantly delaying the gigantic project. Not to mention the reticence in Kenya itself: it is politically difficult to gain acceptance for a futuristic mega-project when Nairobi is also home to Kibera, Africa's largest shantytown, which lacks basic infrastructure.
It has to be said that Konza's promise seems very ambitious: it's a a real smart city which aims to use technology for efficient water and electricity management, while greatly reducing the travel times of employees of local companies, which are multiplied by the often haphazard development of infrastructure in African cities, Nairobi being no exception. The World Bank estimates that 40 % of Africa's population already lives in urban areas, and that this figure is set to double over the next twenty-five years.
Konza vs Eko City, Nairobi vs Lagos
Konza is the answer toEko City Lagos in West Africa, another gigantic smart city project on land reclaimed from the sea on the coast of Nigeria's largest metropolitan area. Other ambitious smart city projects are currently underway in Ghana, Rwanda and Ethiopia, fuelling a degree of competition between African metropolises.
This has not prevented funding from following much more slowly. The Kenyan government has only committed to funding the project to the tune of 10 % and the lack of road and rail infrastructure to link Konza to Nairobi has left the private sector doubtful for several years.
Gradually, circumstances changed: a $390 million contract was signed with an Italian company to carry out road and energy infrastructure work. The expansion of the motorway between Nairobi and Mombasa and a rail project, the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR), have been completed. reassured investors. Over the years, Konza has become closer to Nairobi's satellite towns of Athi River and Kitengela, the latter of which is becoming a hub for farms specialising in horticulture, a key export for the country.
The result: in July, the Konza Technopole Development Authority invited investors to acquire 150 plots in the 165-hectare first phase of the project. Last December, more than 40 %s found buyers. Buyers include hospitals, property developers, higher education institutions and a number of leading groups, such as the National Construction Authority and the National Electricity Transmission Company. More than 10 hectares will be reserved for residential buildings.
The Kenyan government, which presents African Silicon as a special economic zoneIt is particularly looking for investment in light industry and logistics, intelligent agriculture, pharmaceutical services, education and the hotel industry. At present, more than 1,000 workers are at work on the site to ensure the development of the horizontal infrastructure, which should be completed by the end of the year. Ultimately, the project aims to accommodate up to 230,000 people, generating 17,000 direct jobs and 68,000 indirect jobs.
