Established in 2020, Osmotic Engineering Group (OEG) has seen strong progress in the local consulting engineering industry
Tony Igboamalu, a water and wastewater infrastructure director at OEG, was announced the winner of the International Federation of Consulting Engineers (FIDIC) 2022 Future Leaders Award.
Igboamalu is a professional chemical engineer who obtained a Global Excellence Stature 4.0 Research Fellowship in 2022 at the University of Johannesburg looking at the application of 4IR in solving water challenges.
Adam Bialachowski, chair of the judging panel, said, “Tony Igboamalu has shown a high level of achievement and a keen appreciation of the social impact of his work, which perfectly reflects FIDIC’s key values and the positive difference that engineering seeks to make in society.”
With 15 years’ experience in the water industry, he implements and manages multidisciplinary rural and urban development and poverty alleviation projects, including team, technical, financial (3P) and contracts management. His main focus is on socioeconomic development, maintenance management and privatisation, training, application and transfer of appropriate technology and skills.
“Emerging market problems are not just about engineering but have a socioeconomic basis as well. Solving these myriad problems requires a multidisciplinary approach combining finance, economics and politics. Engineers need to be open-minded. OEG represents the future of Africa in that we are driving the development of our future engineers,” commented Igboamalu.
CEO of OEG, Frank Igboamalu, highlighted that this international validation from FIDIC means OEG is well-placed to serve in an advisory role with regard to infrastructure issues in Africa, especially in terms of water, energy and telecommunications.
Business development director at OEG, Ronnie Khoza, added that FIDIC provides a global platform for consulting engineers to showcase challenges and solutions. “This recognition means that people sit up and take notice of us. Here is a company we can talk to and consult and partner with.”
Commenting on the progress made by OEG since its initial foray into South Africa and Nigeria, Khoza revealed it has opened new offices in Ghana to focus on west Africa, and in Uganda and Kenya to serve East Africa. The local office meanwhile, covers the entire southern African region, including Botswana and Namibia.
“Our focus on technical advisory as the main service offering of the future at OEG has improved our portfolio… adding respected clients like Rand Water, MTN and others to our list of clients,” Khosa added.
Another key differentiator for OEG is its capability to partner with financiers and investors to drive infrastructure development on the continent. “While the client is the main anchor, we offer complete solutions. This means bringing in external services that fall outside our scope if need be, such as environmental and legal,” he concluded.
