The Civil Engineering Contractor January 2018 | Page 41

BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE to engineering , including civil , structural , mechanical , electrical , plumbing and fire , as well as cost control and project management . “ I do not believe that there is another business in Africa offering all of that . It is a fully integrated service offering , which differentiates us from most of our competitors ,” Green notes . Another key differentiator for AECOM is its progressive approach towards Africa . “ We are prepared to put feet on the ground , and are putting entities in place in focus countries ; while trying to grow local business on the continent . The main design centre is still in South Africa , where the bulk of our resources are , but our model is to move out into Africa and be on the ground . That does not preclude partnering with local businesses , even in those countries where we have established entities .” A civil engineer by qualification and profession , Green has extensive experience abroad and in Africa . One of his main goals is to make the AECOM brand a household name across the continent . “ The fact that we are actively putting people on the ground means we will gain traction . It is still early days in some markets , but we are getting there .” With medium-term growth unlikely in South Africa , due to a combination of political and economic uncertainty , Green reiterates that AECOM ’ s future growth will continue to be derived from Africa . “ We have a specific strategy to focus on the larger and more complex projects to leverage an integrated delivery model , combined with the fact that we have access to a global skills base ,” he concludes . nn
“ While our home base is South Africa , local knowledge and connections are extremely important in terms of market intelligence .”
AECOM
The illustration depicts one of AECOM ’ s biggest projects , the construction supervision of the USD1.5-billion Tema Port Expansion Project in Ghana .
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