East Africa fastest growing region in the continent

East Africa is set to be the fastest growing region in Africa this year after posting a regional growth rate of 6.7 percent, prompted by the sharp rise is cement use.

Throughout the region, the use of cement has been on the rise as construction sites crop up.

Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) data shows the consumption of cement in Kenya reached 5.23 million metric tonnes in November 2015, slightly higher than the 5.19 million metric tonnes registered in 2014.

The data show construction sector grew by 11.3 per cent in the first quarter of 2015 compared to a growth of 7.6 per cent in a similar period in 2014.

The construction sector is estimated to have expanded by 14.1 per cent between July to September compared to a growth of 8.8 per cent in the same period of 2014.

The growth was on account of increased public infrastructure projects and private sector development in the real estate sector.

In Uganda, cement consumption is expected to increase by at least 12% over the next 3 years.

Tanzania has made great strides in improving its infrastructure with the cement industry being a key beneficiary of the building boom.

The East African governments are now focused on infrastructural delivery and ways to close the most important infrastructure gaps in planning for new cities.

Both the transport and power sectors have critical infrastructure needs in the region and ICT infrastructure is another growing sector now considered key to development.

Africa has the fastest urban growth rate worldwide although it is the least urbanized continent.

Current trend projections indicate that 60% of Africa’s populations will reside in towns and cities by 2030.