Jay456watt
JF-Expert Member
- Aug 23, 2016
- 10,356
- 7,992
(CNN)-The mighty peaks of Kilimanjaro and Kenya are the highest points in Africa, towering over the East Coast nations.
The mountains will soon be sharing a skyline with a man-made behemoth named simply: "The Pinnacle."
Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta recently laid the foundation stone for what will be the tallest building in Africa in the Upper Hill neighborhood of Nairobi. Construction is underway at the development site, and slated for completion by December 2019.
The ambitious project will see twin glass-facade towers rise above the city, the larger standing at 300 meters tall, far surpassing the continent's current leader -- Johannesburg's 223-meter Carlton Centre.
As The Pinnacle, Africa's tallest skyscraper rises to meet its December 2019 completion date, international investors are slowly moving their headquarters to Nairobi.
"We're seeing global corporations that traditionally run Sub-Saharan Africa from Johannesburg putting regional headquarters into Nairobi...and that's a story I expect to hear more and more," he says. "An ambitious project like Pinnacle is ideal for maintaining that interest, and by the time the project comes to fruition Nairobi could be a very different place."
Hilton executives are also bullish, noting in a statement that the Upper Hill area is now home to offices of major international businesses and organizations including Cisco Systems and the World Bank.
Kenya's economy has performed steadily in recent years, with healthy GDP growth of 5.9% in 2016 according to the World Bank. A thriving property market has underpinned this growth, particularly in Nairobi. But there are indications of a slowdown that could affect a luxury development such as Pinnacle.
The 223-meter Carlton Center in Johannesburg, South Africa, will lose its place as the continent's tallest building.
The mountains will soon be sharing a skyline with a man-made behemoth named simply: "The Pinnacle."
Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta recently laid the foundation stone for what will be the tallest building in Africa in the Upper Hill neighborhood of Nairobi. Construction is underway at the development site, and slated for completion by December 2019.
The ambitious project will see twin glass-facade towers rise above the city, the larger standing at 300 meters tall, far surpassing the continent's current leader -- Johannesburg's 223-meter Carlton Centre.
As The Pinnacle, Africa's tallest skyscraper rises to meet its December 2019 completion date, international investors are slowly moving their headquarters to Nairobi.
"We're seeing global corporations that traditionally run Sub-Saharan Africa from Johannesburg putting regional headquarters into Nairobi...and that's a story I expect to hear more and more," he says. "An ambitious project like Pinnacle is ideal for maintaining that interest, and by the time the project comes to fruition Nairobi could be a very different place."
Hilton executives are also bullish, noting in a statement that the Upper Hill area is now home to offices of major international businesses and organizations including Cisco Systems and the World Bank.
Kenya's economy has performed steadily in recent years, with healthy GDP growth of 5.9% in 2016 according to the World Bank. A thriving property market has underpinned this growth, particularly in Nairobi. But there are indications of a slowdown that could affect a luxury development such as Pinnacle.
The 223-meter Carlton Center in Johannesburg, South Africa, will lose its place as the continent's tallest building.