The Nairobi urban fabric will soon feature a new landmark with the development of a medium density-housing complex for the United States Department of State. The complex marks the first development in Kenya in a joint venture by Gateway Real Estate Africa (Gateway Africa) and Verdant Ventures, following a successful collaboration on a similar project in Ethiopia.
Gateway Africa is a Mauritius-based private real estate development company specializing in the turnkey construction where by the developer undertakes all the activities required to complete a project such as purchase of land, permits, plans, and construction and sells the project to the construction authority. The firm is mainly focused on multinational corporations and retailers wishing to expand their operations on the African Continent. Verdant Ventures, on the other hand, is a US-based real estate development company focused on diplomatic housing in Africa.
“We are particularly proud to have the US government as a major tenant. Kenya represents an important base for us from which we can build into the rest of East Africa, and we are excited about the real estate prospects in Nairobi,” the real estate players said in a joint statement.
Greg Pearson, founding member and CEO of Gateway Africa said that a Kenyan architecture firm, Design Partnership Ltd, has been tasked to design this development, and expects the development to create an estimated 1,100 direct and 500 indirect job opportunities. The completion date is earmarked for April 2022.
“We will be making use of both local and international architects, mechanical and electrical consultants as well as civil and structural engineers. Services such as quantity surveying, project management, construction and other sub-cosntruction services will be sourced locally, as we have had success previously with local companies. Materials will be sourced locally as far as possible, with only specialist items being imported,” Pearson said.
