CLOSING AFRICA’S
INFRASTRUCTURE
GAP Project Partner:
MESSRS LOGAN & ASSOCIATES
CLOSING AFRICA’S
INFRASTRUCTURE
GAP Written by: John O’Hanlon Produced by: Richard Deane
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BIGEN AFRICA
Through a holistic approach to operational excellence, Bigen Africa is at the forefront of project development on the continent
B
igen Africa, a leading infrastructure development group with an established presence in southern Africa and a growing African footprint, continues to play a significant role in closing the infrastructure gap on the continent, despite a troubled global economy. With its vision of improving the quality of life of all through the development of sustainable infrastructure solutions, Bigen Africa provides engineering, management consulting, development finance and advisory services on cost-effective, sustainable infrastructure projects in several African countries. The group has delivered projects with a combined value of R200 billion over the past decade, operating in the health, education, agriculture, water and sanitation, property, housing, energy, road, rail and mining sectors.
Steyn City: Bigen Africa’s superior design and engineering capabilities have been proven and awarded consistently during its 44 years of operation.
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Bigen Africa’ philosophy of “doing good while doing business” supports the company vision of improving the quality of life of all through the development of sustainable infrastructure solutions.
“With over 40 years of experience, much of it obtained on projects ensuring progressive leaps for African countries, Bigen Africa has an in-depth understanding of the infrastructure development needs experienced on the continent and is committed to supporting the African Union agenda in achieving its infrastructure development goals,” says Dr Snowy Khoza, Chief Executive Officer. Central to the group’s success, in terms of both business achievements and expansion into Africa, is its value proposition to customers, governments and communities – to provide infrastructure development solutions through a holistic approach which encompasses inhouse capabilities, strategic partnerships
500 Number of staff employed by Bigen Africa
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BIGEN AFRICA
Snowy Khoza
and off-taker needs to optimise project validity and add innovative and sustainable value in integrating the entire value chain in an infrastructure development process. The group’s capabilities range from feasibility studies through project preparation, management and implementation to development finance and ongoing asset management.
Chief Executive Officer Having grown up in poverty in a South African township during the apartheid years, Dr Snowy Khoza has overcome great social and financial challenges, such as being forced to give up her schooling to start work in a factory at the age of 13. Eventually obtaining several bursaries, she completed a PhD in Social Policy from Brandeis University, USA and an MBA from the University of Cape Town. Her career journey comprises more than 28 years at senior management level. Before joining Bigen Africa in 2010 as Chief Executive Officer, Dr Khoza was Group Executive at the Development Bank of Southern Africa for 12 years, which was the culmination of various positions in information technology, strategy, governance, communications, knowledge management, policy, human resources, research and information analysis.
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Partnerships The forging of strategic partnerships is key to Bigen Africa’s business approach and the group collaborates not only with African governments, but also with suppliers and project partners which complement the group’s capability range to ensure that clients have access to a “full-service” offering. “The group’s partnerships strategy is key to its success in achieving technical excellence and innovation,” explains Dr Khoza. “At its annual Partnership Conferences, Bigen Africa strengthens ties with industry delegates from across Africa with a view to forging strategic partnerships. Through these, the group aims to build its capabilities in the renewable energy, development finance, rails, mining and industrial, mechanical engineering and project delivery services.” Industry awards Based on Bigen Africa’s contributions to the advancement of infrastructure development in
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South Africa and on the continent, as well as its innovation, quality, outstanding workmanship and professionalism in the consulting engineering sector, the group recently won three of the seven categories at the annual awards event of Consulting Engineers South Africa (CESA). The categories were Business Excellence, Mentoring Company of the Year and Best International Project, with the latter being awarded for Bigen Africa’s work on the 360km North-South Carrier (NSC-2) regional water transfer system in Botswana. Bigen Africa’s entries in four other categories also qualified for the final round of judging – Mentor of the Year, Young Engineer of the Year, the massive Steyn City residential project in Gauteng, South Africa (project value R50 million to R250 million) and the innovative, “green” Wallacedene taxi rank in Cape Town (project value under R50 million). CESA is an organisation committed to furthering engineering excellence and the annual awards are the top highlight on the industry’s calendar. “Bigen Africa is extremely blessed to have received these awards,” says Dr Khoza. “The group is dedicated to ensuring excellence in its operations, changing the lives of millions of Africans and practising its creed of “doing good while doing business” on a daily basis. Receiving accolades such as these is therefore very gratifying and we as a company give all the glory and honour to God Almighty.”
“Building on its extensive experience and carefully sourced expertise, and with the support of well-chosen industry partners, Bigen Africa offers a solutions driven approach to our clients’ infrastructure development needs” – Snowy Khoza, CEO
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“ Excellence in Legal Practice Unveiled” COMPANY/COMMERCIAL/INVETSMENT LAWYERS
Formed as boutique firm which warehoused all the relevant core skills and specialized knowledge, LOGAN & ASSOCIATES was a response by a group of visionary lawyers lead by Maxwell Logan to fill the vacuum created by the sudden and aggressive deregulation and opening up of the Ghanaian business space in the late 1990s. The firm has one objective, TO CREATE A SOFT LANDING FOR FOREIGN BUSINESSES AND INDIVIDUALS WHO WANT TO DO BUSINESS IN GHANA by providing guidance in navigating the mine field of regulations and to help them obtain the optimum benefits from incentive regimes in place. The firm provides a 'CRADDLE to ADULTHOOD' service for foreign clients delivering due diligence services, rendering advise on the regulatory regime for sector of client interest, incorporating and setting up investment portfolios, trusteeship services and project advisory. For most clients, we make Ghana ready for them even before the take their first step towards physical presence here. LOGAN & ASSOCIATES is proud of its partnership with our many international clients and we are particularly delighted to have partnered BIGEN AFRICA in its unfolding huge successful entry into Ghana. AFTER YOU CONSIDER DOING BUSINESS IN GHANA, TALKING TO US IS NEXT. A decade and a half on, we are here; STILL PUNCHING ABOVE OUR WEIGHTS.''
MESSRS LOGAN & ASSOCIATES The KingFisher House| House No. E742/1 | 10th Avenue | Ringway| Osu-Accra P.O. BOX 30566, KIA ACCRA-GHANATEL: +233 302 797168, FAX +233 302 797169 EMAIL: info@loganandassociatesgh.com | WEBSITE:www.loganandassociatesgh.com
AIMING FOR THE SMALL DOT “Whatever thine hands find to do, do it well”
BIGEN AFRICA
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The group has also received many other awards over the years, including previous CESA awards, and has been one of the Top 500 Best Managed South African Companies since 2006. “Doing good while doing business” Bigen Africa’s creed of “doing good while doing business” is practised through the employees’ multiple social investment initiatives and is also embodied in the activities of Intuthuko Foundation, the group’s corporate social investment arm. With support from employees, clients and partners, the group raised R1 million over the past year for donating to several non-profit organisations, both in South Africa and some of the other African countries where it is active. As far as work and supplier contracts on projects are concerned, Bigen Africa adds value to its business activities by extending, where feasible, such opportunities to local companies in the countries where it is active, as a further boost to local economies.
Klarinet Housing Project. The Klarinet Integrated Housing Project in Witbank Mpumalanga was the recipient of the Govan Mbeki housing award in May 2012.
Expansion strategy Besides having 9 well-established branches across South Africa, Bigen Africa has opened offices in Zambia, Botswana, Namibia and, most recently, Ghana. From these bases, the group has completed many cost-effective, sustainable infrastructure projects in these countries as well as Malawi, Swaziland, w w w. b i g e n a f r i c a . c o m
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BIGEN AFRICA
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The number of branches Bigen Africa has across Africa
Mozambique, Ethiopia, Angola, Nigeria, Kenya, Congo, Lesotho, and Tanzania. Some of these projects are the provision of electricity for 100 000 rural villagers in Ethiopia; participation in Namibia’s national mass housing development plan; the construction of 30 000 household units for the Ghanaian security forces; the 200ha Luano City development in the Democratic Republic of the Congo; and phase 2 of the North-South Carrier water transfer scheme in Botswana. The latter entails the implementation of a 330 kilometre-long regional water transfer pipeline, three remotecontrolled break pressure tanks, four remote-
Quality Assurance Quality Control
Quality Pipe Inspectors provide Quality Inspection Services from pipe fabrication to site installation and commissioning throughout the Southern African Region. Tel 011 455 1976 Fax 011 455 0637 E-mail admin@qualitypipeinspectors.co.za Web www.qualitypipeinspectors.co.za Address 2 Skeen Boulevard, Bedfordview, Johannesburg, 2047
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controlled feeder tanks, a terminal balancing storage reservoir and three pumping stations. Continuing to expand its African footprint is a major aspect of Bigen Africa’s business strategy, S-Vision 16, which is a five-year guide for both business planning and day-to-day operations. “This expansion strategy is being achieved with the support of Bigen Africa’s business partners, including the various country partners, to support localisation, indigenisation and regionalisation,” explains Dr Khoza. “Bigen Africa intends to expand into East Africa, through Kenya. The growth strategy into West Africa is spearheaded through the establishment of Bigen Africa Ghana Limited with a first office registered in Accra.”
The Bigen Africa Group has delivered various projects geared
Human capital development With its current workforce numbering almost 600, Bigen Africa has a formal employee recruitment, retaining and development strategy in place which is integrated with its growth objectives. The BigenPeople strategy is intended to capacitate the group for growth through building knowledge communities and encouraging multi-skilling, as well as directing employees’ attention towards the group’s S-Vision 16 goals. “Bigen Africa’s biggest asset is its human capital,” says Dr Khoza. “In an industry where engineering talent is at a premium, the group needs to take a longterm view to ensuring capability. One of the key core values is empowerment, which
toward sustainable infrastructure development in several countries on the African continent. The combined value of these projects over the past decade alone has amounted to R200 billion.
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BIGEN AFRICA
North South Carrier Project Bigen Africa has opened offices in Zambia, Botswana, Namibia and Ghana and has undertaken numerous infrastructure development projects in these countries to ensure an improved quality of life for all. Amongst these projects is the North South Carrier water transfer scheme in Botswana which entails the implementation of a 330km long regional water transfer pipeline. 12
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focuses on the skills development of all employees and strategic partnerships.” Some of the many programmes in place are study assistance, management and leadership development, succession management, technical expertise development and mentoring. Bigen Africa received industry recognition for its mentoring programme at the CESA Engineering Excellence Awards in 2012, and again in 2015, where it was named Mentoring Company of the Year. At the awards ceremony in 2013, Kobus Viljoen, one of Bigen Africa’s engineers, received the Mentor of the Year Award.
Green Star South Africa awarded
Thought leader With Bigen Africa’s mission being “to become a thought-leading, multinational infrastructure development consultancy with core capabilities in engineering, management consulting and development finance”, Bigen Africa aims to be progressive in all areas of its business, and this includes environmental responsibility. “The group’s involvement in South Africa’s first ‘green’ taxi rank, as provider of design and engineering services, is a highlight in its portfolio,” says Dr Khoza enthusiastically. “Bigen Africa utilised innovative conservation principles to render the facility largely selfsufficient in terms of water and energy use – while being able to accommodate some 5 000 commuters and 50 taxi drivers.”
the Wallacedene taxi rank a fourstar rating which recognises that the facility adheres to the body’s “best practice” guidelines
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BIGEN AFRICA
Bigen Africa provided the full spectrum of infrastructure services for Luano City. This included design, planning, construction supervision, roads and access as well as structural and sanitation services on the multi use commercial, residential and industrial Luano city development in the DRC.
As a part of the expansion strategy, Bigen recently opened their Ghana Office.
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The taxi rank uses alternative energy and water provision systems to ensure considerable savings for the local municipality, such as a rooftop solar photovoltaic panel system, rainwater harvesting and recycling of up to 70 percent of water used. These innovations have culminated in Green Star South Africa awarding the Wallacedene taxi rank a four-star rating which recognises that the facility adheres to the body’s “best practice” guidelines. With the group’s capabilities ranging from the provision of basic, essential infrastructure to innovation on unique projects – such as Wallacedene and the massive, prestigious Steyn City residential project – Bigen Africa has proven itself up to every design and
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Company Information INDUSTRY
Infrastructure Development HEADQUARTERS
Gauteng, SA FOUNDED
1971 EMPLOYEES
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engineering challenge it has encountered. “Building on its extensive experience and carefully sourced expertise, and with the support of well-chosen industry partners, Bigen Africa offers a solutions driven approach to clients seeking effective solutions to infrastructure development needs,” affirms Dr Khoza. “The group will continue to strengthen its position as a leader in the industry, covering business development, strategic partnerships, geographical expansion, corporate restructure, human capital development and financial objectives, thereby ensuring its efficiency in assisting African countries to address key emerging public policy priorities.”
REVENUE
Not Disclosed PRODUCTS/ SERVICES
Engineering; Managment Consulting and Development Finance
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Bigen head Office, Allan Cormack Street Praetoria, Gauteng , South Africa, PO Box 29 +27(0) 12 842 8700 / +27(0) 12 843 9000/9001 praetoria@bigenafrica.com / www.bigenafrica.com