Infrastructure development ramps up project opportunities

With more and more infrastructural development in Africa, opportunities in the project cargo sector are plentiful, says Concargo’s Greg Tighe, director: global projects worldwide operations. “And we are currently experiencing a dramatic increase in international enquiries from our strategic partners abroad for project work in Africa.” With the primary focus at present in South Africa around the energy sector there is also much opportunity for companies to find and do project work locally. Says Tighe: “The opportunities in the energy sector are in both the traditional coal-fired sectors but also alternate energy generation like wind farms.” But challenges do remain for the project industry especially after the global economic meltdown. “Due to the slow recovery period from the worldwide recession there is still a fair amount of caution in the funding of large projects, but we are getting more enquiries and that is good.” Tighe believes companies that do project work well will find themselves growing with the industry in the years to come. “It is important to have reliable equipment available and have an experienced and dedicated project team at hand who can ensure reliability at all times,” he says. “It is also necessary to have a good relationship with the various government departments such as Transport and Public Works as well as with traffic authorities.” And, says Tighe, never underestimate the importance of planning when doing project work.