Construction, Infrastructure & Engineering Advisory
Strategic advisory for construction companies, infrastructure investors, development finance institutions and governments delivering Africa's most significant infrastructure projects.
Closing Africa's Infrastructure Gap: Advisory at Scale
Africa faces an infrastructure investment gap estimated at $68–108 billion annually. Roads, railways, ports, airports, energy generation and transmission, water and sanitation systems, digital infrastructure and social facilities — all are required at a scale that dwarfs the current capacity of public budgets and traditional development finance. The continent's urbanisation trajectory — with Africa projected to house 60% of its population in cities by 2050 — makes closing this gap not merely a development aspiration but an economic necessity.
Lycia Limited's Construction, Infrastructure and Engineering Advisory practice works with the full range of organisations involved in delivering African infrastructure: contractors and developers seeking project opportunities; investors and financiers evaluating project viability; governments and public authorities seeking to structure investable PPP frameworks; and international engineering consultancies seeking local advisory support for complex African assignments.
We provide strategic advisory across the infrastructure investment and delivery cycle — from market intelligence and project identification through to bid strategy, financing structuring, procurement advisory, contractor selection and project governance. We do not provide engineering or quantity surveying services, but we work alongside technical advisors to ensure that the commercial, political and relational dimensions of infrastructure delivery are managed with the same rigour as the technical ones.
At a Glance
Africa's Infrastructure Imperative and the Commercial Opportunity
Infrastructure development in Africa has historically been dominated by official development assistance and bilateral government-to-government lending — predominantly from China through the Belt and Road Initiative, but also from traditional Western bilateral donors, the World Bank Group and the African Development Bank. This model is changing. African governments are increasingly seeking to attract private investment into infrastructure through PPP frameworks, and international investors — private equity infrastructure funds, insurance companies, pension funds and sovereign wealth funds — are increasingly interested in African infrastructure as a portfolio diversification and yield opportunity.
For construction and engineering companies, Africa represents a market of extraordinary scale and — for those with the relationships, local knowledge and patience to navigate it — exceptional margins. Pan-African infrastructure programmes including the Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa (PIDA), national development plans across major economies and the infrastructure requirements of the mining and energy sectors collectively represent a pipeline of projects worth hundreds of billions of dollars over the coming decade.
The challenges are correspondingly significant. Infrastructure projects in Africa are complex political undertakings as much as commercial ones — requiring sustained engagement with governments, communities, financiers and regulators across timelines that can extend for years before a spade enters the ground. Understanding the political economy of infrastructure in each jurisdiction — who controls procurement decisions, how financing is arranged, what community engagement obligations apply, what local content requirements are in force — is the difference between a successful bid and a wasted investment of time and capital.
Lycia Limited brings this knowledge to infrastructure advisory engagements. We help clients navigate the political and commercial landscape, identify opportunities before they are formally tendered, build the government and financier relationships necessary to compete effectively, and structure their project approaches for success in Africa's uniquely demanding infrastructure environment.
Construction & Infrastructure Advisory Services
Our infrastructure practice provides comprehensive advisory across project identification, financing, procurement, and delivery — spanning every major infrastructure sub-sector active in Africa.
Market Intelligence & Project Pipeline
Continuous monitoring and intelligence on the African infrastructure project pipeline — covering planned, tendered and under-development projects across roads and highways, rail, ports, airports, energy, water and social infrastructure.
PPP Advisory & Framework Design
Advisory for governments seeking to structure bankable PPP frameworks for infrastructure delivery, including regulatory framework assessment, risk allocation design, procurement structure and investor attractiveness analysis.
Project Finance & DFI Engagement
Advisory on project financing structures — including limited recourse project finance, viability gap funding, blended finance and development finance — and facilitation of engagement with multilateral and bilateral DFIs.
Bid Strategy & Consortium Building
Strategic advisory for contractors and developers competing for African infrastructure contracts — including bid strategy, local partner identification, consortium structuring and engagement with procurement authorities.
Local Content Strategy
Advisory on compliance with local content requirements increasingly embedded in African infrastructure contracts — covering labour, materials, professional services, technology transfer and community benefit obligations.
Government & Procuring Authority Relations
Facilitation of relationships between international contractors and investors and African governments, infrastructure agencies and procuring authorities — critical in markets where relationship-driven procurement remains dominant.
Construction Materials Sourcing
Advisory and facilitation of construction materials procurement across African markets — covering steel, cement, aggregates, timber, glazing and specialist materials — including identification of local and regional supply sources.
Engineering Consultancy Support
Liaison and coordination support for international engineering consultancies engaged in African infrastructure assignments — including government relations, local sub-consultant identification and community engagement advisory.
Infrastructure Client Profiles
Our infrastructure practice serves organisations across the full spectrum of project development, financing and delivery.
International Contractors & Developers
Major international construction and infrastructure development companies seeking to access the African project pipeline, navigate procurement processes and build the government relationships necessary to compete effectively.
Infrastructure Funds & Investors
Private equity infrastructure funds, pension funds, insurance companies and sovereign wealth funds evaluating African infrastructure investment opportunities — requiring independent assessment of project viability and political risk.
African Governments & Infrastructure Agencies
Governments and national infrastructure agencies seeking to structure investable projects, attract private capital, design PPP frameworks and engage development finance institutions for major infrastructure programmes.
Development Finance Institutions
Multilateral and bilateral DFIs evaluating project finance facilities, blended finance structures and technical assistance programmes for African infrastructure — requiring independent advisory on project quality and governance.
Engineering Consultancies
International engineering consultancies engaged in African feasibility studies, design and supervision assignments requiring local advisory support on political, commercial and community dimensions of project delivery.
Mining & Energy Companies
Mining and energy companies developing or seeking to develop infrastructure — haul roads, port facilities, power generation, water supply — for resource extraction operations requiring coordination with government and community stakeholders.
Where We Operate
Lycia Limited maintains active advisory relationships, market intelligence networks and on-the-ground expertise across the following markets.
The Lycia Infrastructure Advisory Advantage
Political Economy Expertise
Infrastructure delivery in Africa is fundamentally a political undertaking. Our deep understanding of the political economy of infrastructure procurement across 16 jurisdictions enables us to provide advisory that reflects how decisions are actually made.
Financing Architecture Knowledge
The financing of African infrastructure is complex, typically involving multiple layers of public, development and private capital. Our experience across the full spectrum of financing instruments — from World Bank facilities to commercial project finance — is a distinctive capability.
Local Content & Community Relations
Local content requirements and community benefit obligations are increasingly central to African infrastructure procurement. Our advisory on these dimensions helps clients build the social licences necessary for sustainable project delivery.
Long-Term Relationship Investment
Major African infrastructure projects have gestation periods that often extend over years. Our willingness to invest in long-term relationship development — with governments, financiers and communities — is essential to successful infrastructure advisory.
Multi-Sector Integration
Infrastructure projects in Africa rarely exist in isolation — they are connected to mining operations, agricultural supply chains, energy systems and urban development agendas. Our cross-sector capability enables us to understand and advise on these complex interdependencies.
Risk Intelligence
African infrastructure projects carry political, regulatory, currency and construction risks that require sophisticated analysis. Our risk intelligence capability — covering political risk, regulatory risk and construction market risk across our coverage markets — enables clients to price and manage these risks appropriately.
Infrastructure Advisory Engagement Examples
The following illustrative examples reflect the nature and scope of engagements Lycia Limited undertakes. Client confidentiality is maintained at all times.
Port Infrastructure Development Advisory
Engaged by an international port operator to assess the commercial viability and develop a bid strategy for a port concession in Tanzania — including traffic demand analysis, PPP structure review, financing feasibility and government engagement.
Mining Infrastructure Corridor Advisory
Retained by a mining company consortium to advise on the development of a multimodal transport infrastructure corridor connecting mine sites to port — including government negotiations, land access, community engagement and DFI financing.
Renewable Energy Project Development
Commissioned by a European renewable energy developer to navigate the Senegalese regulatory and procurement environment for a 100MW solar IPP project — including licence applications, government negotiations and lender advisory.
Lycia Limited provides strategic advisory services to the construction and infrastructure sector. Lycia Limited is not a licensed engineering, quantity surveying or project management company and does not provide technical engineering or design advice. All advisory is provided subject to applicable laws and regulations in each jurisdiction. Infrastructure projects involve significant commercial, political and financial risks and clients should seek independent legal, technical and financial advice appropriate to their specific circumstances.
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