Nabemba Tower

The Nabemba tower rises above central Brazzaville to around a hundred and six metres, built through the 1980s with oil money and named after the highest mountain in the country, and it was the tallest building in Central Africa when it was completed. It was damaged by fire in the 1990s and repaired. It houses offices including oil company premises, so the interior is not generally open, and it functions mainly as the city's landmark.

Background

Also called the Elf Tower, the building has 30 floors and stands right beside the Congo River in southern Brazzaville. Jean Marie Legrand designed it, and it went up between 1983 and 1986 with funds borrowed from the French oil company Elf Aquitaine. It was formally inaugurated on 3 February 1990. The offices inside house organisations including UNESCO, the New Partnership for African Development and the African Self-help Development Initiative. Upkeep alone costs the equivalent of £3,000,000 a year.

Source: Wikipedia, "Nabemba Tower"

What to look for

• The tower - around a hundred and six metres, the tallest building in the country.
• The oil-boom origin - a structure built on the revenues of the 1980s.
• The Nabemba name - the mountain in the far north the tower is named for.
• The city landmark - the building that fixes Brazzaville's skyline.

When to go

June to September is the dry cooler season. The tower is viewed from outside at any time. Interior access is not generally available.

What to expect

The interior is offices and is not open to visitors. Photography of the building can attract attention from security. It is a landmark rather than an attraction.

Nearby

Central Brazzaville surrounds it, and the Congo river is south.

Key facts