In Gabon, the Façade Maritime du Champ Triomphal (FMCT) has signed an agreement with the real estate company Africa Bright Development for the construction of two eco-responsible buildings on the Baie des Rois site where the Gabonese authorities are developing a green city project.
As part of its Transformation Acceleration Plan (PAT), the Gabonese government wants to make Libreville a green city. Thus, the Façade Maritime du Champ Triomphal (FMCT) concluded a partnership with the financial group Africa Bright Development via its real estate company Africa Bright Development. The agreement covers the construction of two eco-friendly housing units covering an area of 9,000 square meters in “La Baie des Rois”.
This site located on the coast of the capital Libreville has been under construction since 2013. The work, financed to the tune of 15 billion CFA francs (22.8 million euros) by the Gabonese government and its financial partners, will allow for the creation of natural spaces as well as the construction of amusement parks and environmentally friendly housing made from local materials and powered by solar energy. These green buildings will allow residents and visitors to reduce their electricity and water bills.
“More than ever, the real estate industry has a role to play in the green transition. Eco-construction is a new way of looking at building and this implies an environmental awareness of all the players, particularly the architect, the construction chain and the financial sector,” explains Karim El Amrani, Africa Bright’s managing director.
Sustainable cities to accelerate development
The achievements will be verified through the EDGE (Excellence in Design for Greater Efficiencies) label of the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the World Bank Group’s subsidiary in charge of private sector financing. This label facilitates the design and certification of resource-efficient buildings with zero carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. According to Emmanuel Edane, FMCT’s managing director, the ecological transformation of Libreville will “boost urban development and build a sustainable Gabonese capital, generating opportunities for future generations, in line with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
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Other African capitals are also in the process of becoming green cities. This is the case of Kigali in Rwanda, which is currently implementing the “Green City Kigali”. This project focuses on the development of renewable energy technologies, the deployment of electric vehicles, sustainable waste management and the development of urban forests over an area of 620 hectares in the suburb of Kinyinya Hill. With a total cost of $5 billion, the initiative led by the Green Fund of Rwanda (FONERWA) is supported by several development partners, including the German Development Agency (KfW) and the Green Climate Fund (GCF).
Benoit-Ivan Wansi
