‘Africa’s tallest building’ set for $10 billion tech city

Teo Kermeliotis, for CNN
Updated 8:52 AM EDT, Thu March 21, 2013
Hope City is an ambitious tech project that aims to turn Ghana into a major ICT hub in West Africa. Construction will begin by June 2013 and is expected to completed within three years.
Hope City —
Hope City is an ambitious tech project that aims to turn Ghana into a major ICT hub in West Africa. Construction will begin by June 2013 and is expected to completed within three years.
OBR Architect
The hub will include an assembly plant , an IT university and a hospital, as well as housing and recreation spaces.
Hope City —
The hub will include an assembly plant , an IT university and a hospital, as well as housing and recreation spaces.
OBR Architect
Designed by Italian firm Architect OBR, Hope City will be made up of six towers of different dimensions, including a 75-story, 270 meter-high building that is expected to be the highest in Africa.
Hope City —
Designed by Italian firm Architect OBR, Hope City will be made up of six towers of different dimensions, including a 75-story, 270 meter-high building that is expected to be the highest in Africa.
OBR Architect
Italian architect Paolo Brescia (center) showcases the Hope City design to Ghanaian president John Mahama, standing next to him.
Hope City —
Italian architect Paolo Brescia (center) showcases the Hope City design to Ghanaian president John Mahama, standing next to him.
OBR Architect
The sustainable, high-tech project aims to house 25,000 residents and create jobs for 50,000 people.
Hope City —
The sustainable, high-tech project aims to house 25,000 residents and create jobs for 50,000 people.
OBR Architect
A system of bridges at different heights will link the towers together, creating a spiral circular connection for the buildings' functions and public amenities.
Hope City —
A system of bridges at different heights will link the towers together, creating a spiral circular connection for the buildings' functions and public amenities.
OBR Architect
Inspired by Ghana's traditional compound houses, pictured, the project's architects set out to design a space that would reflect the culture of local people and create a sense of community.
Hope City —
Inspired by Ghana's traditional compound houses, pictured, the project's architects set out to design a space that would reflect the culture of local people and create a sense of community.
OBR Architect
Originally made of mud brick walls and thatched roofs, compound structures have been a prevalent form of housing in Ghana for centuries, built to encourage communal life.
Hope City —
Originally made of mud brick walls and thatched roofs, compound structures have been a prevalent form of housing in Ghana for centuries, built to encourage communal life.
OBR Architect
"We wanted to recreate at a different scale the same feeling of the compound house in a way that it could work as a compound cluster," says OBR Architect co-founder Paolo Brescia.
Hope City —
"We wanted to recreate at a different scale the same feeling of the compound house in a way that it could work as a compound cluster," says OBR Architect co-founder Paolo Brescia.
OBR Architect
In pictures: Ghana's Hope City

Story highlights

Hope City is a planned high-tech hub outside Accra, Ghana

The technopolis will house 25,000 residents and create jobs for 50,000 people

Construction is expected to begin by June and to be completed within three years

CNN  — 

Right now, it’s nothing more than an empty plot of land, covered by just a few shrubs and the odd Neem tree. But within a few years, these grass plains just outside Accra, Ghana, could be transformed into a fertile breeding ground for world-class innovation.

Earlier this month, Ghanaian president John Mahama launched Hope City, a $10 billion high-tech hub aiming to foster technological growth and attract major players in the global ICT industry to the West African country.

The ambitious project is the brainchild of Ghanaian businessman Roland Agambire, head of local technology group