Dear ITA colleagues,
The year comes to an end with very positive results for the tunneling industry. The market survey, carried out by ITA every three years, showed that the volume of underground construction has grown at a yearly rate of 7.5%. This number is high by itself, but it is even more meaningful when we compare it to the growth rate of general construction of 3%. This is a clear indication that many stakeholders have understood the importance of the use of underground space. Fortunately, nowadays many infrastructure works are being constructed underground, taking profit of so many advantages as advocated by ITACUS.
Within ITA, the two big events were very successful. The World Tunnel Congress gathered more than 1500 tunnellers from 52 countries in June in Bergen. The ITA Tunnelling Awards took place in Paris in November, blending a conference rich in innovation with a nice Parisian flavor.
Nigeria joined ITA as the 74th Member Nation. This is good news, not only from the standpoint of the importance of the country and its potential for underground construction, but also a strategic position in Africa, where the population increase will be the highest in the world: of the additional 2.4 billion people expected between 2015 and 2050, 1.3 billion will be added in Africa. The need for infrastructure there will be immense.
Season’s greetings to all of you!