Webb Construction is playing an increasingly major role in support of West Africa’s mining boom, as Ben Sansom reports.
The mining industry in West Africa is going through a period of intense international interest and rapid growth, and as a consequence, associated service providers in the region are enjoying something of a renaissance. Webb Construction, as its name implies, specialises in the provision of a full range of construction services for the mining and resources industry.
With 15 years experience of operating in the region, Webb Construction has accumulated a sound knowledge and understanding of the local operating environment. In addition, the in-depth grounding it has acquired in business issues such as sovereign risk and foreign exchange fluctuations, as well as operational practicalities such as understanding cultural nuances and how to interact with government bodies, means the company has become the contractor of choice on many large projects where specialist local knowledge is required.
Having developed a strong reputation for being able to perform well in remote and difficult environments, Webb has expended to offer a wide range of services throughout West Africa, including feasibility studies, design and detailed engineering, project management, equipment refurbishment, commissioning and EPC contractor services. Its major specialisations include structural, mechanical and pipe installation as well as tank fabrication and erection, earthworks, civil and concrete, electrical and instrumentation and commercial building.
Based at Takoradi in Ghana, the company is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Australian engineering and construction company, the Forge Group. Although operating purely in Africa, Webb currently accounts for between 10 and 20 per cent of group revenue. It has two sister companies: Cimeco Pty is a construction company operating in Western Australia and West Africa where it frequently works in close collaboration with Webb; and Abesque Engineering, based in Nedlands, Western Australia, is a multi-disciplined engineering organisation providing mining and mine development services in Australia and Africa.
The close working relationship that Webb has developed with both sister companies enables it to offer a comprehensive range of services including engineering, procurement and construction management. It is also able to offer its services to complement theirs—in recent years, for example, Webb has worked with Cimeco on the expansion of the Tarkwa Gold Mine which is owned by Gold Fields Ghana, and it has also provided the structural, mechanical and pipe services for Newmont’s Ahafo Gold Mine.
Although operating across the region, Webb is a major local employer in Ghana, where there is particularly high unemployment. For many years the company has been operating a policy of employing, training and motivating Ghanaian people to fill all the major roles in the company. As a result, some 85 per cent of the company’s 400 employees are Ghanaian, and they can be found across all disciplines: in skilled craft and supervisory roles; as tradesmen and machinery operators; and in logistics and materials control. At the administrative level, they can be found filling HSE, purchasing, accountancy and general office duties.
One great advantage of having a skilled Ghanaian workforce is that it can quickly and easily be mobilised to work on a construction job anywhere in West Africa, giving the company added flexibility to fulfil urgent construction work.
The last two years have been particularly successful for Webb. The company has enjoyed a period of considerable expansion, particularly into the fast growing mining regions of Burkino Faso and Mali. In Burkina Faso, work on the Inata Gold Mine, which is owned and run by London-based Avocet Mining, has been underway for some 16 months and is expected to continue into next year. In Mali, the company has been involved in construction work at the Syama mine site, and this will continue through the year.
Meanwhile, in Ghana the company successfully completed a considerable plant expansion for Chirano Gold Mines, work that included structural, mechanical and piping work as well as installing tankage. The company has also been working on a contract to construct CIL tankage and process tanks for Adamus Resources.
As a result of continuing growth in its West African operations, the company has invested significantly in expanding and relocating its headquarters and engineering facilities to a new location in Takoradi. During 2009 it acquired the lease on a 9,000 square metre plot of land, and began the construction of a modern and efficient office block to accommodate the increasing number of administrative personnel, along with a new fabrication workshop, stores building, a heavy duty vehicle maintenance workshop, fuel storage and services bays. The relocation was completed in July this year. In addition, the company has made significant investments in new plant and equipment to support the ongoing expansion.
Looking to the future, Webb believes there will continue to be significant opportunities for expansion of the business in West Africa, particularly in countries such as Burkina Faso, Mali, Guinea, Senegal and Sierra Leone which are attracting increasing interest from international mining houses.
Meanwhile, the company believes that with rapidly expanding oil and gas exploration and development in the region there are likely to be further opportunities for growth. Following the announcement of initial oil and gas discoveries in 2009, major exploration groups such as Kosmos Energy and Tullow Oil have ramped up their exploration efforts in the region. In Ghana alone, massive investments have been made in offshore drilling programmes, along with extensive onshore support bases and facilities, and Webb has been closely involved with some of those projects.
Finally, the Ghanaian government and private investors are also considering a number of infrastructure prospects, including a proposed oil refinery, a gas processing facility, onshore storage terminals and a new deepwater port along with an upgrade of the existing port at Takoradi.
With so many prospects on the horizon, the future for Webb Construction looks rosy. http://www.forgegroup.com.au/webb/index.html
