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The move is a step for the British firm to enter the African continent by providing a platform to expand not only in Kenya and the East African region, but in the whole of Africa/CFM

Kenya

British firm Atkins PLC acquires local engineering firm

The move is a step for the British firm to enter the African continent by providing a platform to expand not only in Kenya and the East African region, but in the whole of Africa/CFM

The move is a step for the British firm to enter the African continent by providing a platform to expand not only in Kenya and the East African region, but in the whole of Africa/CFM

NAIROBI, Kenya, Mar 3 – British multinational engineering and consulting services firm Atkins PLC has acquired Howard Humphreys East Africa Limited, one of the leading consulting engineering companies in Kenya and Tanzania.

The move is a step for the British firm to enter the African continent by providing a platform to expand not only in Kenya and the East African region, but in the whole of Africa.

The deal is expected to be completed in three months with the transaction value undisclosed.

“Africa is experiencing major investment in transportation, infrastructure and energy, presenting strong demand for world-class multidisciplinary design and consultancy services. This acquisition provides an excellent platform from which to develop our presence in the region and is in line with our strategy of targeted expansion into new geographies,” said Atkins’ Chief Executive Uwe Krueger.

Howard Humphreys has been operating in the region since 1931 and supports clients across the infrastructure market in East Africa, with a strong track record providing engineering consultancy and project management services in the transportation, water and property markets.

Atkins has worked on a number of projects with Howard Humphreys over the past decade and this has played an important role in cementing the bond between the two organisations.

“We’re extremely excited to become part of Atkins. The opportunities in East Africa are immense. As part of Atkins, our existing and new clients will have access to the full breadth of the Group’s expertise, so there’s no limit to what we can achieve together.” said Kanwal Syan, Managing Director of Howard Humphreys.

Recent projects completed by Howard Humphreys include the new airport terminals at the international airports in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam; geothermal power projects in Kenya for the Kenya Electricity Generating Company and independent power producers; and the design and construction supervision of an 18,000m2 office tower in Upper Hill, Nairobi.

Atkins has been carefully reviewing the Africa market to assess both the economic, social and business environment and to identify potential partners with well established businesses in attractive growth markets.

Paul Shepherd-Smith will lead Atkins’ operations in Africa as part of an enlarged Middle East & Africa (ME&A) business.

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“We know from long experience that in order to achieve sustainable success in any market, we need to have a strong presence on the ground. This gives us local knowledge and enables us to build close relationships with our clients based on the excellent reputation of both Howard Humphreys locally and Atkins internationally. Atkins has worked closely with the Howard Humphrey’s team for many years, and this acquisition is therefore absolutely the right move for our Group’s growth strategy in Africa.” said Atkins Middle East and Africa Chief Executive Simon Moon.

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