Company News
Irish engineering firm opens East Africa office in Nairobi
The office will handle Sh4.3 billion worth of projects in East Africa.
Dublin-based engineering company Designer Group has announced the opening of a new office in Nairobi to handle Sh4.3 billion worth of projects in East Africa.
The company, which was among more than 40 Irish companies that toured Nairobi last week, said its fully-owned Kenyan subsidiary will oversee on-going projects valued at Sh1.46 billion as well as execution of new ones valued at Sh2.8 billion starting next year in Kenya and Uganda.
Designer Group, which partners with local companies when bidding for engineer, procure and construct (EPC) contract jobs, said the Nairobi office will assist several East African companies to undertake projects in utility, infrastructure, industrial, and sustainable energy.
“The deal will see the firm engage local supply chain in knowledge transfer and up-skilling over the coming 12 months,” the company said in a statement.
Founded in 1992 by former Construction Industry Federation president Michael Stone, Designer Group is a leading international engineering solutions firm with operations in Ireland, the UK, Germany, Africa and the United States.
The company joins a growing list of international firms that are setting up shops in Nairobi to meet the rising demand for skilled contractors in the regional construction sector.
In March 2016, the UK designer of Dubai’s Burj Al Arab hotel acquired Howard Humphreys East Africa in a move aimed to make Nairobi its African headquarters for property, energy and infrastructure deals.
Howard Humphreys East Africa – founded in 1931 – boasted a strong presence in the regional market and provided engineering consultancy and project management services in the property, transportation and water sectors.
A year later, California-based construction giant Bechtel opened its Africa office in Nairobi from where it launches its battle for the continent’s big-ticket infrastructure works.
As a starting point, the US construction successfully tendered for the planned expansion of the 485-kilometre Mombasa-Nairobi highway into a six-lane dual carriageway.
The project has, however, run into funding headwinds prompting the Kenyan government to delay its execution by at least two years.
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