Although Africa is not generally known for its abundance of skyscrapers, it has undergone a building surge in different cities with the tallest buildings in Africa coming from South Africa and Kenya. The number of tall buildings has been seen growing significantly throughout the continent over the last decade.
South Africa ranks high by hosting three of the top ten tallest buildings in Africa.
Kenya along with Tanzania and Ethiopia have joined the list of top 10 tallest buildings in Africa.
- The Iconic Tower
The Iconic Tower is the talest building in Africa and is located in the New Administrative Capital of Egypt.
It has a total structural height of 385.8 metres. When completed it will include 80 floors, most being offices. It is part of 20 towers being constructed in the new capital city as part of the Central business district. The total area of the tower is over 7,100,000 square metres. The structural concrete work for the tower completed in July of 2021 and later topped out at its full height of 385 meters on 24th August, 2021.
- The Leonardo
The Leonardo is a 55-floor mixed tenure highrise property in Sandton, Johannesburg, South Africa.
It rises to a height of 234 metres, being 11 metres taller than the Carlton Centre which was the previous tallest building in South Africa. Construction work started in 2015 and was completed in 2019 at a cost f R2 billion and it will have 200 apartments as well as 11 floors of commercial office space
- Carlton Centre, South Africa
The Carlton Centre located, downtown in Johannesburg, South Africa, was once the tallest building in Africa since 1973 and held the title for 40 years with a height of 223 metres with 50 floors
Construction began in 1960 by demolishing the old Carlton Hotel and the closing roads to form a city superblock and officially completed in 1974. However occupation of the Centre began in 1971.
The design of the tower matches that of New York’s One Seneca Tower in Buffalo which was completed in 1973.
Top ten tallest building in Africa
- Britam Tower Kenya
Britam Tower, was build as a commercial tower and is owned by British-American Investments Company. the skyscraper has a maximum height of 195 metres, above ground, with 32 usable floors. It is the second-tallest building in Africa by pinnacle height at 200 m (660 ft).
It features a unique prismic shape that starts as an equal four sided square footprint and ends with a two sided roof with a 60 metres (197 ft) mast, containing three helical wind turbines.
- The Commercial Bank of Ethiopia Headquarters
The Commercial Bank of Ethiopia Headquarters is a tower located in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. With 198-metre, the 46-storey CBE Tower is the tallest building in Ethiopia.
The CBE Tower has a height of 198 metres with 52 stories. Construction started in 2015 and it was topped out in 2019. Completion has seen intermittent delays to date.
- Nairobi Global Trade Centre Office Tower
Nairobi Global Trade Centre Office Tower is a 42-story tower rising 184 meters in Nairobi.
Construction of the GTC Tower started in 2014 and was completed in 2021 and is the tallest of 3 towers located on the site.
- Ponte City Apartment, South Africa
Ponte City is a skyscraper in the Berea neighborhood, just next to Hillbrow, Johannesburg, South Africa. It was built in 1975 to a height of 173 m (567.6 ft)
The 55-story building is cylindrical, has an open centre dubbed “the core” allowing additional light into the apartments and rises above an uneven rock floor.
Top ten tallest building in Africa
- UAP Tower, Kenya
UAP Old Mutual Tower is a 33-storey office complex in the Upper Hill neighborhood of Nairobi, Kenya owned by UAP Old Mutual Group, a financial services conglomerate headquartered in Kenya, with subsidiaries in six African countries.
Construction of The UAP Tower, which is the second-tallest building in Nairobi at 163 m (535 ft) was completed in 2016.
Top ten tallest building in Africa
- NECOM House, Nigeria
Nigerian External Communication House (NECOM House) is a skyscraper located in Lagos, Nigeria
NECOM House is a 32-story building witha height of 160 metres. The building was completed in 1979.
Top ten tallest building in Africa
- Tanzania Ports Authority Tower
TPA Tower is the tallest building in Tanzania and is a 157-meter-tall tower located in Dar es Salaam.
Construction of the 40-storey building was competed in 2016.
Upcoming Tallest buildings in Africa.
These are proposed and under development buildings yet to rise to their full height.
Father and Son skyscraper
This is a 470 m skyscraper proposed in Cairo, Egypt. It is designed by IAMZ Studio, is split into three main components including the style, shape and urban design along with green spaces implemented into the design
Sand Tower
Sand tower is also a 450 m tower proposed in Merzouga, Morocco. The highrise is designed by French practices OXO Architectes and Nicolas Laisne Associes. Dubbed as the ‘skyscraper of the future,’ is set to be a vertical city dealing with the desert’s dangers and drought, towering above the wilderness,.
Durban Iconic Tower
Durban Iconic Tower, is multi-billion Rand proposed skyscraper in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. With 370 metres it would be one of the tallest building in Africa and the Southern Hemisphere if built. It would also replace the Leonardo to become the tallest tower in South Africa.
The Pinnacle
The Pinnacle, also Pinnacle Towers, is a tower on hold in Nairobi, Kenya. Upon completion with the current timeline, it will become the second tallest tower in Africa after Egypt’s Iconic Tower and Southern Hemisphere’s the third tallest, at 70 stories and over 300 m in height.
