Engineering leaders have called for the rapid adoption of Building Information Modelling (BIM), artificial intelligence and advanced geospatial systems to address skills shortages, improve project delivery and strengthen infrastructure development across Africa.
The call was made at the opening of the 27th Ethiopian Association of Civil Engineers (EACE) Convention and International Infrastructure Conference at the Sheraton Addis Hotel.
Held under the theme, “Building Africa 2050: Engineering Resilient, Sustainable, and Smart Infrastructure,” the conference brought together industry executives, government officials, engineers, academics and international partners to discuss the challenges facing Africa’s construction and infrastructure sectors.
Participants warned that Africa’s development ambitions could be constrained by project-delivery bottlenecks, a growing shortage of certified project-management professionals and an estimated annual infrastructure-financing gap of between US$68 billion and US$100 billion.
Speakers said finance alone would not solve the problem without addressing structural weaknesses in the construction ecosystem, including limited technical capacity, fragmented supply chains, weak project controls, low labour productivity and slow digital adoption.
At the domestic level, Ethiopian contracting and consulting firms continue to face operational challenges, including shortages of raw materials, administrative skill gaps, inconsistent project-management standards and limited use of digital tools.
Engineering leaders said the broader use of BIM, AI and geospatial technologies could help improve planning, reduce delays, strengthen cost control and support better monitoring of construction projects throughout their life cycles.
Amanuel Mekonnen Hailemariam, President of EACE, said Ethiopia’s infrastructure sector was expanding rapidly alongside broader economic and technological development.
He pointed to projected national economic growth, rising mobile-network coverage, renewable-energy investment and major infrastructure projects, including the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, the planned regional mega-airport hub and the National Corridor Development Programme.
The corridor programme is reshaping urban centres through integrated transport corridors, underground utility networks and climate-resilient green infrastructure.
“The core issue facing our industry is not merely the volume of assets constructed, but the precision, sustainability and capital efficiency with which they are executed,” Amanuel said.
He noted that the Council of Ministers had recently endorsed a comprehensive construction-industry policy framework intended to improve safety, strengthen regulatory compliance and accelerate the use of BIM and digital-management tools in both public and private projects.
Engineer Zahra Abdulhadi, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the Construction and Real Estate Cluster at MIDROC Investment Group, said integrated project delivery required strong systems for managing time, cost and quality.
“Integrated project delivery requires that time, cost and quality parameters are governed through transparent project controls,” Zahra said.
She said that institutionalising international standards, including Project Management Professional certification and BIM, would help Ethiopian engineering firms compete more effectively and participate as equal partners alongside international contractors and development-finance institutions.
BIM is a digital process that allows engineers, architects, contractors and clients to create, share and manage detailed information about a construction project. It can support project planning, cost estimation, design coordination, procurement, construction monitoring and long-term asset maintenance.
Artificial intelligence and geospatial systems can also assist in identifying construction risks, assessing land and environmental conditions, monitoring project progress and improving infrastructure maintenance.
Participants said these technologies could help African countries move from conventional construction practices toward data-driven asset-lifecycle management.
The conference also recognised individuals who have contributed to the development of Ethiopia’s built environment.
Professor Alemayehu Teferra, recipient of the EACE Lifetime Achievement Award and Chairman of the General Assembly, welcomed international delegations from Germany, Cyprus, Italy, the Netherlands, Nigeria, Somalia, Djibouti and Angola.
The multi-day conference includes technical panels organised around six thematic tracks. The sessions will cover structural and seismic engineering, transport and logistics, digital infrastructure, smart urban planning, sustainable construction and project-management systems.
