Continental Application of Foamed Concrete Technology: Lessons for Civil Engineering Infrastructures Development for Africa

The properties of foamed concrete as a variable density concrete, is now being tapped for effective application in the global construction industry. Foamed concrete is applicable in various continental climates. In hot continental climates, with very hot days and cold nights with temperatures of 90°C and 10°C respectively, it is successfully used in Kazachstan, Iran, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan. This study presents the properties and applications of this type of concrete at varying densities highlighting the advantages and circumstances for its use. Economic and Other Considerations together with its multipurpose applications were also presented. Comparative study of the involvement levels in the use  of  foamed  concrete  technology  economy  by  the  various  continents was  undertaken.  Results indicated  that  Asia  and  Europe  alone  accounted  for  50%  and  33.3%  respectively,  totaling  83%. Africa’s  exposure  level  to  foamed  concrete  technology  is  only  5.6%  which  is  grossly  non-commensurable  to  the  population  on the  Continent  compared  with  shares from  other  parts.  Some research  and  development  efforts  were  presented  to  show  that  there  are  opportunities  for groundbreaking research works in this field. Africa and Australia each has a share of 5.6% in global involvement in foamed concrete technology economy. This stresses that  Africa’s exposure level to foamed  concrete  technology  of  5.6%  only  is  grossly  non-commensurable  to the  population  on the Continent compared with shares from other parts of the globe. The world experience has shown that the special technological feature of foamed concrete allows it to be used for multipurpose applications in the building and other infrastructural developments industries as highlighted in the text. This impliesthat  Africa  needs  to  rise  up  to  tap opportunities  that  abound  in  this  context  to  improve  her infrastructural development rates. There are also opportunities for new ventures on the platform of foamed concrete applications and equipment.

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