11 giant infrastructure projects that are reshaping Africa

SR

Africa's population is exploding.

By the United Nations' estimate, the continent will see its current population of 1.2 billion double by the year 2050. That's an expected growth of 42 million people — basically a brand-new Argentina — every year.

A number of important infrastructure projects are underway to make room for all those people, including railways, dams, and clean energy solutions such as solar arrays.

Here are some of the largest projects coming to Africa in the next several decades.

In 2009, the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa began work on the North South Corridor — a series of roadways and railways spanning more than 6,000 miles across seven countries. Its total cost is approximately $1 billion.

Tanzania's Bagamoyo Port will become Africa's largest port, capable of handling 20 million containers per year. With an estimated cost of $11 billion, a Chinese government construction firm expects to complete the port by 2045.

In 2013, Chinese development firm Zendai Property Limited announced it was building an $8 billion city outside Johannesburg, called Modderfontein New City. It will become a hub for Chinese firms investing in African infrastructure.