Africa’s must-attend construction event, the annual African Construction and Totally Concrete Expo, is taking place from 11 to 13 June 2019 at the Gallagher Convention Centre in Midrand, Johannesburg.

Organised by dmg events, and now in its 7th year, the event provides a unique platform for over 9,500 construction and built environment professionals from over 45 countries to engage with key industry heavy weights, conduct valuable business and develop new skills by attending.

In celebration of the ongoing development in technology and transformation, the African Smart Cities Summit and the Women in Construction and African Construction Awards will be co-located with the event.

Urban population in Africa was reported to be the fastest growing globally and by 2030 Africa will host 6 of the world’s 41 megacities.

“Africa’s remarkable urban growth creates major challenges around city infrastructure and service delivery but at the same time provides an abundance of opportunities for both public and private sector players to explore and reinvent urban living in the smartest ways possible” says Tracy-Lee Behr, Portfolio Director: Built Environment for dmg events.

In light of the above, Daniel Claassen, Producer of the African Smart Cities Summit goes on to say: “Now in its 3rd year, the African Smart Cities Summit will take place on 11 June 2019 and explore where the industry stands in leveraging proven smart city solutions in Africa and look at what is and must be done right now to ensure African cities are resilient, connected, inclusive, safe and prosperous. Attendees will hear Smart City project updates from across Africa and explore trends in urban resilience, smarter transportation and energy management. They will discover how future cities will be connected, intelligent and inclusive through technological innovation such as 5G, IoT and Blockchain.”

“The quality of case studies and presentations was inspiring and the opportunities for networking & future collaboration will certainly enhance our ability to deliver a “smarter” project.” – Brendan Falkson, Director, Rosslyn Hub

Now in their 6th year, the Women in Construction and African Construction Awards Powered by NAFBI takes place on 12 June 2019.

The awards, which comprise both individual and organisational categories, acknowledge the increasing important role of transformation in the industry and will be adjudicated by an esteemed judging panel of industry experts who will be assessing nominations in the following categories:

• Youth Owned Business
• Women Owned Business
• Township Business
• Rural Enterprise
• Women in Construction – Young entrepreneur/rising star
• Lifetime Achievement: Women in Concrete and Construction
• Media and Communications Excellence
• Investor in Youth Education

The prestigious evening and gala dinner will be attended by 300 guests and are not only about one night of celebration, but recognise and applaud those companies and individuals driving change and make the industry more inclusive.

“We are witnessing transformation across the construction industry. We are on the frontline of shaping the future of the industry and we are seeing first-hand the breaking down of barriers to truly inspire a new generation. Women empower women by changing company standards and through eliminating challenges for other women.  There is power in that…” says Charne Karaolis, Managing Director, MSHEQ Health & Safety Consultants, South Africa and a member of the 2019 adjudication panel.

Nominations close on 10 May 2019 and the organisers call on the built environment and the construction sector to not delay in nominating leading professionals, entrepreneurs and rising stars who have displayed year-round the pursuit of excellence and passion in their fields.