The Okavango River Bridge in Botswana is one of the projects that have gained an award of merit by the International Federation of Consulting Engineers (FIDIC).

The Okavango River flows into an inland delta. In the fertile areas of this delta, a spectacular variety of plant and animal species can be found, which attracts tourists from all over the world. To facilitate access to the north-eastern part of the delta, it was decided to create a permanent connection with a cable-stayed bridge instead of relying on the existing ferry services.

The bridge crossing the Okavango River is 400 m long. To emphasise the importance of this structure, the A pylons were designed in the shape of crossing elephant tusks. They create a type of gate to the Okavango delta and are a symbol of the fact that Africa’s largest elephant population is found here in Botswana.

The Hamburg GRASSL team was responsible for all the design services.

We are very pleased about the recognition of our work and would like to thank all project participants for the collaboration.

The FIDIC Project Awards recognise the achievements and successes of consulting engineering firms all over the world and highlight the contribution they make to the social, economic and ecological quality of life on the entire globe.

Awards were given to project from around the world, including the USA, Australia, Canada, China and Ireland. It is interesting to see that , Somalia and Mozambique are the only African award-winning countries. William Howard, the jury chairman and former FIDIC president, stated: “The chosen projects reflect the excellence of the work of consulting engineers and the value that the whole engineering, construction and infrastructure industry brings to society.”