Spon’s African Construction Costs Handbook Second edition E & FN SPON An imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group Also available from Taylor & Francis **Spon’s Middle East Construction Costs Handbook** Franklin + Andrews Hb: 0-415-36315-2 Taylor & Francis **Spon’s Irish Construction Price Book** Franklin + Andrews Hb: 0-415-344093 Spon Press **Spon’s Railways Construction Price Book** Franklin + Andrews Hb: 0-415-326230 Spon Press **The Presentation and Settlement of Contractor’s Claims** Geoffrey Trickey, Mark Hackett Hb: 0-419-205004 Spon Press Information and ordering details For price availability and ordering visit our website www.sponpress.com Alternatively our books are available from all good bookshops. Spon’s African Construction Costs Handbook Edited by FRANKLIN + ANDREWS First edition 2000 published by E&FN Spon Second edition published 2005 by Taylor & Francis 2 Park Square,Milton Park,Abingdon,Oxon OX14 4RN Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada by Taylor & Francis 270 Madison Avenue,New York,NY 10016,USA This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2005. “To purchase your own copy of this or any of Taylor & Francis or Routledge’s collection of thousands of eBooks please go to www.eBookstore.tandf.co.uk.” Taylor & Francis is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group © 2000,2005 Franklin + Andrews The right of Franklin + Andrews to be identified as the Author of this Work has been asserted by them in accordance with the Copyright,Designs and Patents Act 1988 All rights reserved.No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic,mechanical,or other means,now known or hereafter invented,including photocopying and recording,or in any information storage or retrieval system,without permission in writing from the publishers. The publisher makes no representation,express or implied,with regard to the accuracy of the information contained in this book and cannot accept any legal responsibility or liability for any errors or omissions that may be made. Publisher’s note This book has been produced from camera-ready copy supplied by the authors British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data A catalog record has been requested for this book. ISBN 0-415-36314-4 (PrintEdition) Contents Preface vii Acknowledgements viii Users guide ix Conversion factors x SECTION ONE : REGIONAL OVERVIEW Map 2 Spon’s African cost database 3 SECTION TWO : INDIVIDUAL COUNTRIES Introductory notes to individual countries 9 Introduction 9 Key data 9 Construction cost data 9 Exchange rates and inflation values 11 Useful addresses 12 Individual countries Algeria 13 Cameroon 37 Chad 61 Gabon 85 Ghana 109 Guinea 133 Kenya 157 Nigeria 181 Senegal 207 South Africa 231 Tanzania 257 The Gambia 283 Zambia 307 vi African Construction Costs Handbook SECTION THREE : COMPARATIVE DATA Introductory notes 333 Key national indicators Population 334 Geography 335 Economy 336 Construction cost data Bricklayer and unskilled labour costs 337 Material costs – Cement and concrete aggregates 338 Material costs – Ready mixed concrete and steel reinforcement 339 Material costs – Solid and hollow concrete blocks 340 Material costs – Sheet glass and plasterboard 341 Material costs – Emulsion paint and quilt insulation 342 Approximate estimating – Car parks and petrol stations 343 Approximate estimating – Factories and warehouses 344 Approximate estimating – Offices and shops 345 Approximate estimating – Hospitals and schools 346 Approximate estimating – Sports halls and hotels 347 Approximate estimating – Housing 348 Index 349 Preface This publication is one of a number of volumes which have been compiled in an endeavour to address a need in the construction industry for information relating to individual countries within a specific continent. This volume presents profiles for a selection of country locations within Africa in an individual and comparative format to allow evaluation of each country in isolation and in relation to the other countries within that continent.Comparative data for the UK is also included. The publication has been prepared as a convenient reference point for those involved in construction including developers, contractors and suppliers who wish to become involved in the industry in that region of the world. It provides an introductory synopsis of the construction activities relevant to a specific region within the African continent together with the domestic profile of each country. Acknowledgements The information for the various countries that has been provided within this publication has been gathered from a wide variety of sources and due acknowledgement is given to all those organisations, publications and individuals each of whose contribution has enabled the production of this volume. Important sources of a general financial nature have been prepared by reference to the various reports from international bank facilities and from government intelligence statistics offices. Publication users guide The publication is divided into three sections: – Part One: Regional Overview, Part Two: Individual Countries and Part Three: Comparative Data.There are thirteen individual countries covered by this volume each one of which is specifically covered in Part Two and compared collectively in the third section. The UK is included to allow for comparative benchmarking. Part One: Regional Overview This section provides an introduction to and an overview of the region giving basic details to allow a feel for the area. It presents key characteristics such as population, land area and GDP for each country and also provides membership data of various organisations. Part Two: Individual Countries Part Two covers each of the countries individually in the following format: • Key data • Construction cost data • Exchange rates and inflation • Useful addresses Part Three: Comparative data Part Three collects the data from Part Two and presents it on comparative bases allowing a view of each country in terms of its relationship with the others in the form of descriptive text and tables. The individual tables provide general data comparisons in accordance with the following: • Key data • Construction output • Construction cost data