Transport infrastructure is a primary driver for expanding trade and sustainable development throughout the EMEA region. This is particularly the case in the SSA (sub-Saharan African) and MENA (Middle East and North Africa) regions, where the integration of transport infrastructure with new development projects is core to regional economies achieving some of the highest GDP rates in the world.

Advisian’s Transport and Master Planning Service Line is well suited to respond to these opportunities, providing advisory, planning and engineering services in two key growth areas, notably ports and rail infrastructure.

Although transport infrastructure projects in the MENA region continue to be generously funded by state-owned and private entities, the SSA region is predominately reliant on funding by donor organisations (e.g. World Bank), private equity (e.g. sovereign wealth funds) and Chinese entities. Private-Public Partnerships (PPP) are an increasingly important mechanism for funding transport infrastructure in SSA and the wider region., With the incorporation of a PPP offering, Advisian is well placed to provide the advisory services critical to unlocking the full range of development funding sources.

Adam Boughton, EMEA Regional Director of Sectors, states: “Advisian’s value offering, which combines management and technical advisory capability, is seen by our clients as a significant differentiator in the region. Transport infrastructure underpins all the sectors we operate in and our diverse and integrated capability is recognised and sought after across the region.”

Advisian is providing transport advisory services to several parties across the EMEA region and just over the past 12-month period, this has included prefeasibility support to a rail sector project in the Middle East; lenders advice for deep sea ports in Gulf locations; tender support for various marine structural and coastal development projects in the Gulf; due diligence for LPG terminals in Eastern Africa; benchmarking studies and review of railway operational contracts; sea level rise and other climate change related impacts assessment for the South African coastline; transport network, port and SEZ master planning for a mega port development in the Middle East; coastal and marine engineering and master planning advisory services for a major nuclear development in SSA; and marine intake/outfall advisory services on various desalination projects in South Africa, KSA, UAE and South America.

The diversity, depth and high calibre of Advisian’s team is a key contributor to the company’s success. Dr Gary Mocke, EMEA Director for Transport and Master Planning says, “I am truly proud of our talented teams in Dubai, Madrid and Cape Town. They ensure our clients achieve their goals through their technical ability, innovative approach and determination to deliver the best results.”

Advisian’s diverse offerings are also key to adding value to its clients. For example, Stepwise, Advisian’s fully integrated financial and technical process model, has enabled an offshore gas company to use an options analysis to provide surety to investors to release funds for the next stage of their project. Advisian also assisted a precious metals mining company to develop and utilise an integrated modelling approach using Stepwise to assess the potential of a new mine.

Asset Integrity, launched last year in the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council?) region, is another example of an Advisian offering now considered a key element in business planning for many of the advisory company’s clients. Advisian’s Asset Integrity service offers a seamless integrated process providing data acquisition and analysis plus engineering solutions for clients with ageing marine assets. The service is low cost and produces fast, accurate results. This offering is now being extended to the SSA region.

“The next 12 months promises many more new offerings to our clients in SSA and MENA,” says Boughton. “The pace of change is fast in our industry and we are confident we are at the front of the field.”