GRP drainage pipes for sustainable infrastructure project in Dakar

Amiblu delivers 8000 m GRP pipes for the Bus Rapid Transit project, financed by the World Bank and the European Investment Bank.

Senegal is a sub-Saharan African country with a rapidly growing urban population: It is expected that 60 percent of the country’s inhabitants will live in urban areas, especially the greater Dakar area, by 2025. One of the effects of this development is that the greater Dakar area is plagued by traffic congestion.

The Government of Senegal therefore decided to adopt a strategy for sustainable mobility. It includes an efficient, safe, and reliable mass transport system to promote public transport trips against the individual motorized mode and provide citizens with an improved access to job opportunities. This strategy is part of the comprehensive Emerging Senegal Plan (Plan Senegal Emergent, PSE) 2035, which aims to accelerate poverty reduction and boost shared prosperity, among others through large investments in public infrastructure. One major project included in this plan is the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) pilot project.

The Bus Rapid Transit project is the World Bank’s largest project in Senegal and the first electric bus rapid transit project in sub-Saharan Africa. It involves building a 18.3 km fully segregated BRT line, connecting 14 municipalities from the center of Dakar to the coastal city of Guediawaye with electric buses. The project will shorten the commuting time between the two cities from 90 minutes to 45 minutes, with average daily passenger transports reaching 300,000. As part of the mitigation activities in the climate action plan submitted by Senegal ahead of the 2015 Paris Agreement, the BRT project contributes to five out of the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals* and is expected to reduce carbon emissions by 60,000 tons per year.

Amiblu delivered 8000 m GRP drainage pipes in diameters from DN 2000 to DN 800 for the Bus Rapid Transit project. The drainage line was initially planned in concrete, but GRP emerged as clear winner in a technical evaluation: Excellent hydraulic properties thanks to the pipes’ smooth inner liner, lighter weight, and easier handling, as well as a trouble-free installation and a remarkably long lifetime convinced the client. Amiblu is delighted to contribute to this important project for Senegal to build a green, inclusive, and sustainable modern public transportation system for generations.

* Promote sustained, inclusive, and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment, and decent work for all (Goal 8); Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization, and foster innovation (Goal 9); Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable (Goal 11); Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts (Goal 13); Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development (Goal 17)