STORY HIGHLIGHTS
1: Hope City is a planned high-tech hub outside Accra, Ghana
2: The technopolis will house 25,000 residents and create jobs for 50,000 people
3: Construction is expected to begin by June and to be completed within three years

Source: CNN
Source Url: http://edition.cnn.com/2013/03/20/tech/hope-city-ghana/index.html?iid=article_sidebar

(CNN) -- Right now, it's nothing more than an empty plot of land, covered by just a few shrubs and the odd Neem tree. But within a few years, these grass plains just outside Accra, Ghana, could be transformed into a fertile breeding ground for world-class innovation.

Earlier this month, Ghanaian president John Mahama launched Hope City, a $10 billion high-tech hub aiming to foster technological growth and attract major players in the global ICT industry to the West African country.

The ambitious project is the brainchild of Ghanaian businessman Roland Agambire, head of local technology group RLG Communications. Smart and futuristic, the hub's sustainable facilities will include an assembly plant for various tech products, business offices, an IT university and a hospital, as well as housing and recreation spaces, including restaurants, theaters and sports centers.


Italian architect Paolo Brescia (center) showcases the Hope City design to Ghanaian president John Mahama, standing next to him.

"What is lacking in the African continent is a place where you can have well-designed products, backed with concrete research and proper hardware and software developers to be able to create infrastructure for the telecoms industry," says Agambire, 39, whose company has acquired the land where the technopolis will be built.

"So the inspiration behind Hope City is to have an iconic ICT park where ICT players from all over the world can converge to design, fabricate and export software and everything arising from this country," he adds.

onstruction is expected to begin by June 2013 and when completed -- within three years, if everything goes as planned -- the technology park could house 25,000 residents and create jobs for 50,000 people.

Agambire, one of Ghana's top businessmen, says his company is financing 30% of the project, while the remainder will be funded by a wide array of investors and through a stock-buying scheme.



The entrepreneur says the IT hub has already attracted several partners, including Microsoft, with Microsoft corporate vice president Ali Faramawy among the guests at the Hope City launch event.

Agambire adds that the Hope City project also has the support of the Ghanaian government, as it aims to create create thousands of jobs and help turn technology into one of the country's main economic drivers.

"What we want to do is to create the environment and the human resource base for the technology industry to be able to use that [environment] and tap that opportunity," he says. "That's what has happened in China, that's what has happened in other places of the world."

'Africa's highest tower'

Hope City will be developed in an area of about 1.5 million square meters, located some 30 minutes west of Accra's city center.

Designed by Italian firm Architect OBR, the technopolis will be made up of six towers of different dimensions, including a 75-story, 270 meter-high building that is expected to be the highest in Africa. A system of bridges at different heights will link the towers together, creating a circular connection between the buildings' functions and public amenities.

OBR co-founder Paolo Brescia says the project's goal is to create a living place of discovery and exploration that reflects the tradition and culture of local people in a contemporary urban setting.


The hub will include an assembly plant , an IT university and a hospital, as well as housing and recreation spaces.

To achieve this, the architects designed Hope City with Ghana's traditional compound houses in mind. Originally made of mud brick walls and thatched roofs, compound structures have been a prevalent form of housing in the country for centuries, built to promote communal life and mutual assistance.

"We wanted to recreate, at a different scale, the same feeling of the compound house in a way that it could work as a compound cluster," explains Brescia.

"This place is designed to keep people together," he adds. "We developed this idea, not as a campus, where you have buildings which are dedicated to single functions, but as a city which is developed in a vertical way so that everything could be interconnected."

'ICT revolution'

The launch of Hope City comes just a few months after Kenya broke ground on its own flagship tech mega project; located some 60 kilometers southeast of the capital Nairobi, Konza Techno City is being touted as "Africa's Silicon Savannah," a major IT hub that aims to create some 100,000 jobs by 2030.

Similar spaces have also mushroomed across Africa in recent years, from Egypt and Nigeria to Tanzania and Madagascar.

In Ghana, one such center is Accra-based Mobile Web Ghana, a vibrant tech space with more than 300 members. Florence Toffa, director of Mobile Web Ghana, welcomes the launch of Hope City.

"This city hopefully will bring the tech companies together and spark a new ICT revolution in Ghana," she says, adding that the project could equip local techies with the necessary skills to develop apps that would solve community problems, as well as provide a platform for tech companies to find new talent and opportunities to invest in.

For Agambire, this is a project that will position Ghana at the forefront of African technology.

"Africa is hungry for development," he says. "Want to make sure that in three years down the line, Hope City will be a reality and will be one of the biggest dreams that Africa has ever seen."

Nigeria is also "planning" to establish a similar projects before the end of 2012
FG To Establish ICT Innovation Hubs Before 2012 End – Minister
http://www.leadership.ng/nga/articles/39177/2012/11/04/fg_establish_ict_innovation_hubs_2012_end_minister.html

The Federal Government would establish Information Communication Technology (ICT) hubs this year to encourage young ICT entrepreneurs to drive their ideas into innovations and money.

The disclosure was made in Abuja on Sunday by the Minister of Communication Technology, Mrs. Omobola Johnson, when she fielded questions at a forum of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

She said the hubs would serve as part of efforts to encourage young Nigerians to go into ICT businesses.

The minister told NAN that there were lots of Nigerians who were into different forms of ICT development, while others actually had ideas that could grow into businesses, but lacked mentorship or funds to translate those ideas into innovations.

Johnson said that the hubs would also serve to bridge that gap between the young ICT entrepreneurs who had wonderful ideas and access to mentorship, certain ICT infrastructures and support infrastructure.

Rubbish project, Ghanians are hungry. Dey should try to do something reasonable with their cash. I thought its only Nigerian government that spends extravagantly, I didn't know its an African mentality.

This is not being wasteful, I don't think any country can actually survive in this present age and time without Technology, it's a good investment if you ask me

Hope City will be 270m high higher than Carlton Centre. While Symbio City will 470m high SA is right by delaying this project and waiting for GIANTS wannabes to start

Good for Ghana atleast Ghanaians aren't noise makers like Naija.

By the way Im half Ghanaian (mother) and SA father born in UK RAISED in RSA true GIANT/RAINBOW NATION. :DAYOBAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!

aane, meka twi kakra.
ha ha just a bit my TWI is bad I can still speak it.

Way to go Ghana lets see ordinary people being housed,gain access to water,electricity,good education,good health etc..instead of this.

AwodwaGyanOniwe: Good for Ghana atleast Ghanaians aren't noise makers like Naija.

By the way Im half Ghanaian (mother) and SA father born in UK RAISED in RSA true GIANT/RAINBOW NATION. :DAYOBAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!

You ain't making noise? What are you doing?

[b]Ghana is building the BIGGEST MALL IN WEST AFRICA. At 38 000 sqm. By SA standards still a BABY.
Anyways this mall is built by SOUTH AFRICANS ;[/b]D
BRAVO GHANA FOR BELIEVING IN YOUR BROTHERS, While tiny nigeria is using CHINESE(known for DUPLICATES/copying AND POOR QUALITY/collapsing buildings and railways).

@Nadia SA
SA DOMINANCE SPREADING ALL OVER THE WORLD
CASTLE LAGER SOUTH AFRICAN BRAND MAKES HISTORY BY SPONSORING FC BARCELONA OF SPAIN.
SOUTH AFRICA IS TAKING OVER THE WORLD LIKE "BRITAIN OF OLD". :oTiny Britain controlled 40% of the world.

http://www.fcbarcelona.com/club/detail/article/fc-barcelona-and-castle-sign-an-historic-partnership

AwodwaGyanOniwe: @Nadia SA
SA DOMINANCE SPREADING ALL OVER THE WORLD
CASTLE LAGER SOUTH AFRICAN BRAND MAKES HISTORY BY SPONSORING FC BARCELONA OF SPAIN.
SOUTH AFRICA IS TAKING OVER THE WORLD LIKE "BRITAIN OF OLD". :oTiny Britain controlled 40% of the world.

http://www.fcbarcelona.com/club/detail/article/fc-barcelona-and-castle-sign-an-historic-partnership

hehe WoW..Phambili mzansi Phambili...

@Agaust,NaijaPikidi
NIGERIA=tiny hell-hole witha big population of villagers trapped in it.

Ghana is building the biggest mall in west africa with help from us GIANTS.
The size of the new mall will 38 000sqm. thats BIG BY WEST AFRICAN STANDARDS and SMALL BY SOUTH AFRICAN STANDARDS.

Most township malls are LARGER THAN THAT WHILE MALLS IN BIG CITIES RANGE FROM 100 000 sqm TO 200 000 sqm.
SA=BIGGEST AIRPORTS,STADIUMS,HOSPITALS,MALLS etc...

SA'S SMALL TOWN AND TOWNSHIP MALLS ARE MANY TIMES BIGGER THAN ALL WEST AFRICAN MALLS.

Billion Group breaks ground

July 18 2013 at 06:56pm
By Roy Cokayne

Comment on this story

The retail property sector remains the segment of the commercial property market that is experiencing the most activity, with expansions of existing shopping centres taking place mostly in outlying areas and former townships.

The development of the Billion Group’s R1.3 billion BT Ngebs Mall in Mthatha in the Eastern Cape and the fourth phase of New Africa Development’s Jubilee Mall in Hammanskraal near Pretoria at a cost of R120 million are good examples of this trend.

The Billion Group broke ground earlier this month on the BT Ngebs Mall development, which will include an investment of R60m to upgrade roads, sewerage, bulk electricity and other infrastructure while creating 2 500 job opportunities in the construction phase and up to 2 500 permanent jobs once it starts trading.

The mall, expected to commence trading in April 2015, forms part of Billion Group’s R16bn investment earmarked for the Eastern Cape over the next 10 years, which will create thousands of jobs and contribute millions of rand to the local fiscus.

The fourth phase of Jubilee Mall’s retail offering and centre upgrade commenced in April and will be completed by October.

The extension will increase the size of the 42 406m2 mall to about 51 000m2.NOTE THIS IS A TOWNSHIP

About R700m has been invested to date in the mall, which is owned by NAD Property Income Fund and managed by New Africa Developments.

The mall boasts a blue chip tenant list and attracts an average of 7 million consumers a year, all of whom fall within the living standards measure 4 to 8 categories.

Japie van Niekerk, the founder and owner of New Africa Developments, said Jubilee Mall formed part of the group’s pioneering vision to bring major retailers to previously disadvantaged communities through the development of leading shopping centres.

“The aim is to instil a sense of pride and belonging in a world-class shopping environment located in an underdeveloped area, which the community itself has played a part in establishing.”

Jubilee Mall’s anchor tenants are Pick n Pay, Spar, Game and Edgars and it has a broad offering that ranges from fashion, furniture, homeware and hardware to grocery stores and fast food outlets with the extension allowing the mall to soon be home to a selection of restaurants.

New outlets in the mall will include Spur, McDonald’s, Nando’s, Miladys, Furniture City, FNB, Absa, Truworths Man and Spitz while the Jet, Edgars and Ackermans outlets will be extended.

The fourth phase extension includes the construction of a covered taxi drop-off area that will be attached directly to the mall and further improve convenience for shoppers.

A further 494 parking bays will add to the 1 418 bays. A children’s play area will be constructed.

At 72 000m2, the BT Ngebs Mall will be the largest shopping centre of its kind in the region and will service 390 000 households in an area with a retail undersupply of 477 341m2. Just off the freeway on Errol Springs Avenue, the mall will offer easy access and 1 975 parking bays.

It will also mean that Mthatha shoppers will for the first time have access to South Africa’s largest retailers and various food and fashion franchises under one roof, offering a wider choice and better value for patrons.

Confirmed retailers include Pick n Pay, Shoprite, Clicks, Food Lover’s Market, Woolworths, Foschini Emporium, Truworths, Edgars, Jet, @Home, Fabiani, Jenni Button, Hilton Weiner, Aca Joe, Urban, Vertigo, Soviet and Queue. Also offered will be Franco Ceccato, John Craig, the major banks, House & Home, many food franchises, The Hub, Identity, Totalsports, Sportscene, Exact, Pep, Studio 88, Legit and CNA.

Billion Group founder and executive chairman Sisa Ngebulana, who grew up in Mthatha, said this development was close to his heart and the group was very excited about the opportunities it would unlock in the region.

“At a cost of R1.3bn, BT Ngebs Mall will not only create thousands of sustainable jobs and entrepreneurial opportunities but our R60m infrastructure investment will assist in addressing Mthatha’s road, electricity and other infrastructure challenges,” he said.

Ngebulana expects that up to 2 500 jobs will be created during construction, followed by 2 300 to 2 500 permanent positions jointly through Billion Group and its tenants, once trading started.

He said the development would also create a number of entrepreneurial opportunities within the region, such as potential supply chain agreements, care and maintenance contracts and the provision of a retail platform within the mall for products and services

[b]Africa’s tallest skyscraper set to be taller than Empire State Building
BY Claude Harding | May 28, 2013

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South Africa could soon be home to one of the world’s tallest buildings, if the mayor of the City of Tshwane is to be believed. At 450 metres with over 110 floors, the proposed building, set to be constructed in Centurion, will be Africa’s tallest structure and taller than New York’s Empire State Building.

The planned Centurion Symbio-City development will comprise two office buildings and one residential tower. The tallest tower will be 450 metres high, reaching over 110 storeys. It will be flanked by two towers of 80 and 60 floors.

The City of Tshwane, the municipality under which Centurion falls, describes the project as a modern, technologically advanced, cutting edge development.

Centurion is situated in South Africa’s Gauteng Province, close to the country’s administrative capital Pretoria.

An artist's impression of the planned Centurion Symbio-City development.

So how will the proposed Symbio-City’s tallest tower compare to the world’s tallest buildings? Not taking into account buildings that are currently under construction, such as the One World Trade Centre building in New York, the Symbio-City tower will be the 14th tallest freestanding structure in the world, only 5 metres shorter than the Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Tshwane is home to 132 embassies and four universities. According to Kgosientso Ramokgopa, executive mayor of the City of Tshwane, “the development is a reflection of the range of economic opportunities, cultural experiences, safety and a quality physical environment that Tshwane offers.”

It is unclear when the proposed development will be completed[/b]

AwodwaGyanOniwe: Way to go Ghana lets see ordinary people being housed,gain access to water,electricity,good education,good health etc..instead of this.

when we are already building eko-atlantic city u are talking of hope city that's on paper,it can't even be compared to mighty eco.

Hope cirrry my azz

AwodwaGyanOniwe:


[b]Africa’s tallest skyscraper set to be taller than Empire State Building
BY Claude Harding | May 28, 2013

Share on Facebook

South Africa could soon be home to one of the world’s tallest buildings, if the mayor of the City of Tshwane is to be believed. At 450 metres with over 110 floors, the proposed building, set to be constructed in Centurion, will be Africa’s tallest structure and taller than New York’s Empire State Building.

The planned Centurion Symbio-City development will comprise two office buildings and one residential tower. The tallest tower will be 450 metres high, reaching over 110 storeys. It will be flanked by two towers of 80 and 60 floors.

The City of Tshwane, the municipality under which Centurion falls, describes the project as a modern, technologically advanced, cutting edge development.

Centurion is situated in South Africa’s Gauteng Province, close to the country’s administrative capital Pretoria.

An artist's impression of the planned Centurion Symbio-City development.

So how will the proposed Symbio-City’s tallest tower compare to the world’s tallest buildings? Not taking into account buildings that are currently under construction, such as the One World Trade Centre building in New York, the Symbio-City tower will be the 14th tallest freestanding structure in the world, only 5 metres shorter than the Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Tshwane is home to 132 embassies and four universities. According to Kgosientso Ramokgopa, executive mayor of the City of Tshwane, “the development is a reflection of the range of economic opportunities, cultural experiences, safety and a quality physical environment that Tshwane offers.”

It is unclear when the proposed development will be completed[/b]

nigeria is about to build africa tallest building 550 meters,infact work has started,urs is just on paper!

Total crap from this noise making aparthied confused dummy,nigeria is already building the biggest mall in the whole africa in lagos and abuja,those malls will be the biggest in the whole africa,just go google it,oooh poor fellow,stop stressing urself,chilex and have a chilled drink of monkey pee [quote author=AwodwaGyanOniwe]@Agaust,NaijaP

nigeria is building the biggest mall in africa .
The size of the new mall will 38 000sqm. thats BIG.

Most township malls are LARGER THAN THAT WHILE MALLS IN BIG CITIES RANGE FROM 100 000 sqm TO 200 000 sqm.
SA=BIGGEST AIRPORTS,STADIUMS,HOSPITALS,MALLS etc...

SA'S SMALL TOWN AND TOWNSHIP MALLS ARE MANY TIMES BIGGER THAN ALL WEST AFRICAN MALLS.

Billion Group breaks ground

July 18 2013 at 06:56pm
By Roy Cokayne

Comment on this story

The retail property sector remains the segment of the commercial property market that is experiencing the most activity, with expansions of existing shopping centres taking place mostly in outlying areas and former townships.

The development of the Billion Group’s R1.3 billion BT Ngebs Mall in Mthatha in the Eastern Cape and the fourth phase of New Africa Development’s Jubilee Mall in Hammanskraal near Pretoria at a cost of R120 million are good examples of this trend.

The Billion Group broke ground earlier this month on the BT Ngebs Mall development, which will include an investment of R60m to upgrade roads, sewerage, bulk electricity and other infrastructure while creating 2 500 job opportunities in the construction phase and up to 2 500 permanent jobs once it starts trading.

The mall, expected to commence trading in April 2015, forms part of Billion Group’s R16bn investment earmarked for the Eastern Cape over the next 10 years, which will create thousands of jobs and contribute millions of rand to the local fiscus.

The fourth phase of Jubilee Mall’s retail offering and centre upgrade commenced in April and will be completed by October.

The extension will increase the size of the 42 406m2 mall to about 51 000m2.NOTE THIS IS A TOWNSHIP

About R700m has been invested to date in the mall, which is owned by NAD Property Income Fund and managed by New Africa Developments.

The mall boasts a blue chip tenant list and attracts an average of 7 million consumers a year, all of whom fall within the living standards measure 4 to 8 categories.

Japie van Niekerk, the founder and owner of New Africa Developments, said Jubilee Mall formed part of the group’s pioneering vision to bring major retailers to previously disadvantaged communities through the development of leading shopping centres.

“The aim is to instil a sense of pride and belonging in a world-class shopping environment located in an underdeveloped area, which the community itself has played a part in establishing.”

Jubilee Mall’s anchor tenants are Pick n Pay, Spar, Game and Edgars and it has a broad offering that ranges from fashion, furniture, homeware and hardware to grocery stores and fast food outlets with the extension allowing the mall to soon be home to a selection of restaurants.

New outlets in the mall will include Spur, McDonald’s, Nando’s, Miladys, Furniture City, FNB, Absa, Truworths Man and Spitz while the Jet, Edgars and Ackermans outlets will be extended.

The fourth phase extension includes the construction of a covered taxi drop-off area that will be attached directly to the mall and further improve convenience for shoppers.

A further 494 parking bays will add to the 1 418 bays. A children’s play area will be constructed.

At 72 000m2, the BT Ngebs Mall will be the largest shopping centre of its kind in the region and will service 390 000 households in an area with a retail undersupply of 477 341m2. Just off the freeway on Errol Springs Avenue, the mall will offer easy access and 1 975 parking bays.

It will also mean that Mthatha shoppers will for the first time have access to South Africa’s largest retailers and various food and fashion franchises under one roof, offering a wider choice and better value for patrons.

Confirmed retailers include Pick n Pay, Shoprite, Clicks, Food Lover’s Market, Woolworths, Foschini Emporium, Truworths, Edgars, Jet, @Home, Fabiani, Jenni Button, Hilton Weiner, Aca Joe, Urban, Vertigo, Soviet and Queue. Also offered will be Franco Ceccato, John Craig, the major banks, House & Home, many food franchises, The Hub, Identity, Totalsports, Sportscene, Exact, Pep, Studio 88, Legit and CNA.

Billion Group founder and executive chairman Sisa Ngebulana, who grew up in Mthatha, said this development was close to his heart and the group was very excited about the opportunities it would

AwodwaGyanOniwe: @Nadia SA
SA DOMINANCE SPREADING ALL OVER THE WORLD
CASTLE LAGER SOUTH AFRICAN BRAND MAKES HISTORY BY SPONSORING FC BARCELONA OF SPAIN.
SOUTH AFRICA IS TAKING OVER THE WORLD LIKE "BRITAIN OF OLD". :oTiny Britain controlled 40% of the world.

http://www.fcbarcelona.com/club/detail/article/fc-barcelona-and-castle-sign-an-historic-partnership

so how will that benefit u and ur people? hahahahhaha! Why didn't they sponsor a s.a team,lmaooo! Maybe they ain't interested in wasting their hard earn cash on some bunch of pregnant footballers and their unsuccesful untalented club

Ghanian Govt is taking a bold step in devoloping ICT in africa moreso encouraging investment that will provide job for the youths . Its not a waste of money .

dude u must BE DRUNK OR SOMETHING SOUTH AFRICAN TEAMS, RUGBY, SOCCER, BOXING,OLYMPICS TEAMS ETC..ARE SPONSORED BY CASTLE LAGER.
DON'T DRINK NIHELLIAN
http://www.citypress.co.za/wp-content/themes/canvas/functions/thumb.php?src=wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Bafana1.jpg&w=630&h=0&zc=1&q=90

Adamskuty: so how will that benefit u and ur people? hahahahhaha! Why didn't they sponsor a s.a team,lmaooo! Maybe they ain't interested in wasting their hard earn cash on some bunch of pregnant footballers and their unsuccesful untalented club

AwodwaGyanOniwe:
Hope City will be 270m high higher than Carlton Centre. While Symbio City will 470m high SA is right by delaying this project and waiting for GIANTS wannabes to start

Ghana. Has a New proposed Building that Will be taller than Symbio. will love to see these projects come to reality.. The real estate market in africa is coming of age