Members of the construction value chain are eager to collaborate with each other to create the new solutions Africa’s infrastructure boom will require.
That was the consensus that emerged from the three-day Totally Concrete expo, themed “A date with innovation”, held recently at the Sandton Convention Centre, Johannesburg. “It was very good to see everybody involved in the industry at the event, from designers to construction companies, from micro enterprises to large manufacturers like ourselves. “Government, the professional associations and the institutes were also present,” says Alta Walker, Head: Innovation at PPC, which was a platinum sponsor of the event. “Everyone understands the need for innovation but, even more importantly, they are starting to explore ways to work together to develop solutions that work for Africa.” Walker says that in the formal conference sessions and in informal networking, it was apparent that building collaborative networks is a hot topic—and that they were already starting to emerge organically.This drive to collaborate and innovate in response to the challenges and opportunities generated by Africa’s need for infrastructure could be seen as expanding the “civilution” movement already happening within the civil engineering industry more broadly.