Greening infrastructure in Africa through digital transformation | 국외연구자료

KDI 경제교육·정보센터

Economic Information and Education Center

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Greening infrastructure in Africa through digital transformation

Brookings

2024.11.11

Home to the world’s first ever 3D-printed school, Africa is a hotspot for digital transformation in the construction industry. For example, 14Trees, an Africa-founded joint venture between Holcim and British International Investment, is revolutionizing the construction industry through 3D printing technology. The company printed the walls to build new schools in Malawi and Madagascar in 18 hours and continues to scale into more construction markets, including building a 52-house complex in Kenya. It is estimated that using conventional methods, it would take 70 years to build the number of classrooms UNICEF estimates are needed to meet the current classroom shortage in Malawi, but 14Trees says that with its technology, that gap could be bridged in just 10 years.

As I describe in my book, Africa’s Fourth Industrial Revolution, such African-led innovation is the result of unique dynamics on the continent that make Africa a potential leader in the construction industry. Advanced technologies are radically changing the construction industry landscape on the continent, which is particularly timely given that 1,000 large building construction projects worth $812 billion are scheduled or ongoing as of 2024. These major undertakings include housing, business parks, data centers, healthcare infrastructure, and ICT projects.

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