Rivers, Dams and Large-scale Hydraulic Works in Post-colonial Africa

Based on research carried out for the exhibition "Africa Big Change Big Chance", this essay offers an inventory of the dams built in Africa by Salini Impregilo. To facilitate an understanding of territorial changes, of which dams are fundamental elements, and of the problem of diversifying the sources of growth, the essay is preceded by an overview of the continent's water resources. What follows is an overview of 56 dams, grouped under four headlines: architectural development in the Maghreb; transnational conflicts over exploitation of the Nile waters; large hydraulic projects for Atlantic West Africa; river labyrinths in sub-Saharan Africa