10 Tallest Buildings in Africa

The history of skyscrapers in Africa began in 1973 with the construction of the Carlton Centre in Johannesburg, which held the title of the tallest building in Africa until April 2019.

Having felt the prestige associated with hosting the tallest towers on the land, South Africa has worked itself up to command the lion’s share of the tallest buildings in Africa.

Here are the 10 tallest buildings in Africa:

1. Leonardo, South Africa

Leonardo is a 227-meter-tall, 56-floor mixed-use development in Sandton, South Africa. The tower is set on 75 Maude Street, just 100m from the Johannesburg Stock Exchange.

Construction of Leonardo began on 17 November 2015, and the tower topped out in April 2019 – officially becoming the tallest building in Africa.

2. Carlton Centre, South Africa

The Carlton Centre, a 223-meter-tall skyscraper and shopping center in Johannesburg, South Africa, was previously the tallest building in Africa since its completion in 1973.

Designed by US architectural firm Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill, the Carlton Centre resembles the famous One Seneca Tower in Buffalo, New York, completed in the same year.

With 50 habitable floors, Carlton Centre was once the tallest building in the Southern Hemisphere – the southern half of the Earth!

3. Britam Tower, Kenya

Britam Tower, a 200-meter-tall office complex in Upper Hill, Nairobi, was officially opened to the public in July 2018, overtaking UAP Old Mutual Tower as the tallest building in Kenya.

The 31-storey tower, whose construction started in early 2013 and ended in September 2017, boasts a unique prism design. At its widest, the building looks like a black pyramid with the top corner missing, and from other views, it becomes a more slender black prism.

In 2018, Britam Tower became the first building in Africa to be feted in the Emporis Skyscrapers Award’s 19-year history after being named the 10th best skyscraper in the world.

It is also the tallest building in East Africa.

4. CBE Headquarters, Ethiopia

The opening of the 198-metre Commercial Bank of Ethiopia (CBE) Tower in Addis Ababa has gifted Ethiopia its newest tallest building – ending the reign of the AU Conference Center.

The 46-storey CBE Tower, located near the Ethiopia Hotel off Ras Desta Damtew Street, is a 150,000-sq m skyscraper that will serve as the bank’s headquarters.

In early 2015, the Commercial Bank of Ethiopia signed a deal with China State Construction Engineering Corporation (CSCEC) to construct the building at $267 million.

5. Nairobi GTC Office Tower

The opening of Nairobi GTC Office Tower, the tallest of the six towers of the Sh40 billion Global Trade Centre, has added a new entrant to the roll of Kenya’s tallest buildings.

The 184-metre, 43-storey office block is expected to be the Africa headquarters for Chinese firm Avic, seeking to set up its continental hub in Westlands, Nairobi.

The tower, whose construction began in July 2015, opened in December 2021.

6. Ponte City, South Africa

Ponte City is a 172.8-meter-tall skyscraper in the Berea suburb of Johannesburg, South Africa. Built in 1975, the 54-storey tower designed by South African architect Manfred Hermer is the tallest residential building in Africa.

Ponte City boasts a cylindrical design, with an open center allowing additional natural light into the apartments. The building is documented as the first cylindrical skyscraper in Africa.

7. UAP Tower, Kenya

Located in Upper Hill, Nairobi, the 163-metre-tall UAP Old Mutual Tower became the tallest building in Kenya when it opened in July 2016 after more than five years of construction.

The 33-storey building, which has since lost the title to Britam Tower, offers some 300,000 square feet of Grade A office space in Nairobi’s fastest-growing commercial district.

Standing 5,700 feet above sea level, UAP Old Mutual Tower unseated Rahimtulla Tower as the highest point in Nairobi.

8. NECOM House, Nigeria

NECOM House (formerly NITEL Tower and earlier, the NET Building), a 158-meter-tall skyscraper in Lagos, is officially the tallest building in Nigeria and the entirety of West Africa.

Completed in 1979, the building houses the headquarters of former state-run telco, the Nigerian Telecommunication Limited. The spire at the top of the building serves as a lighthouse beacon for Lagos Harbor.

NECOM House, designed by Ghanaian architect Nickson Borys & Partners, was constructed by UK-based Costain Group. It took over from Cocoa House as Nigeria’s tallest building.

9. Tanzania Ports Authority Tower, Tanzania

Tanzania Ports Authority (TPA) Tower, a 157-meter-tall tower in Dar es Salaam, is the tallest building in Tanzania. Completed in 2016, the 40-storey building is the headquarters of TPA.

10. PSPF Towers, Tanzania

PSPF Towers is a 153-meter-tall twin tower building in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. The 35-storey building is designed to create a flexible module that can host countless office setups.

The following towers are no longer in the list of 10 tallest buildings in Africa:

Marble Tower, South Africa

Originally known as Sanlam Centre, Marble Towers is one of the popular landmarks of Johannesburg. Built in 1973, the 32-storey commercial building made from concrete and marble has South Africa’s largest electronic advertising board on its façade.

Marble Towers tops the Pearl Dawn building in Durban by just a centimeter. 

Pearl Dawn, South Africa

Pearl Dawn, a 152-meter-tall residential skyscraper in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, ends the list of the ten tallest buildings in Africa. The 31-storey building is one of South Africa’s recent skyscrapers, completed in 2008.

Designed by Seedat & Seedat Architects, a Durban-based architectural firm, Pearl Dawn is a part of the greater Umhlanga tourism development project.

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