A leading South African infrastructure development company has been appointed as the infrastructure developer of the Luano City project in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, a 200ha development adjacent to the Lubumbashi International Airport.

Luano City includes commercial, industrial, residential and community facilities. Bigen Africa is providing master planning, detail design, construction supervision, tender and contract administration. The company will also provide various ad hoc municipal infrastructure support services on roads and access; storm water management (reticulation and retention); water (bulk storage and reticulation); sanitation (reticulation and bulk collection); and structural services. The first stage of the project is expected to commence towards the end of the year.

Bigen Africa’s Executive Director for Africa, Deon Fabel, says the company has the full capacity to deliver the project, saying that Bigen Africa has already successfully delivered cost-effective, sustainable infrastructure projects in several African countries.

“This project is also a welcome opportunity to put the company’s creed of ‘doing good while doing business’ into practice, which will involve channelling some of the employment and procurement opportunities to the local community, providing a welcome means to an income for it,” says Fabel.