Hassan Allam Construction wins $250m Afreximbank HQ deal

Hassan Allam Construction, a subsidiary of the privately held engineering and construction group, Hassan Allam Holding, led by Egyptian businessman Hassan Allam, has won a $250 million contract to build the African Export-Import Bank’s African Trade Centre in Egypt’s New Administrative Capital. The project will serve as Afreximbank’s new global headquarters and its largest development to date, the bank said in a statement.

The complex will be designed to bring together the lender’s operations while also creating a hub for trade, business and knowledge-sharing across the continent. Plans include a knowledge and innovation hub, a corporate museum and an SME incubation center aimed at supporting African entrepreneurs and exporters.

Scope of work and project details 

Hassan Allam Construction will deliver the full package of works, including civil construction, electrical and mechanical systems, landscaping and the supply and installation of furniture, fixtures and equipment.

The development will also house a 750-seat conference center, exhibition halls, retail and dining outlets, support facilities and a parking structure with space for about 1,200 vehicles. Afreximbank said the center is intended to host high-level trade meetings, policy discussions and business events tied to Africa’s export and investment agenda. 

George Elombi, president and chairman of Afreximbank, said the project goes beyond meeting the bank’s space needs. “The African Trade Centre is meant not simply to accommodate the expansion of the bank, but to address the lack of trade and investment information among African businesses,” Elombi said, calling it a long-standing constraint on intra-African trade. 

Construction is expected to take about 36 months, creating roughly 8,000 direct and indirect jobs during the build phase and about 1,000 permanent roles once the complex is operational.

Hassan Allam’s track record 

Founded in 1936, Hassan Allam Holding has grown into one of the Middle East and North Africa’s established engineering and construction groups. The company operates in about 10 countries, with activities spanning energy, water, industrial projects and logistics. It currently has around $6 billion worth of projects underway.

Under the leadership of Hassan and Amr Allam, the group has delivered more than 12 million square meters of built space in Egypt. In recent months, the company has stepped up activity both at home and abroad. In October, it won a $550 million project in New Cairo, and in September secured a contract in Muscat, Oman, to build water and wastewater systems, part of a broader push to expand beyond Egypt.