Africa requires an estimated USD$93 billion annually to sufficiently finance the region’s new infrastructure development yet the continent still suffers deficiences in the maintenance of the integrity of existing assets especially in the transportation sector, and residential and commercial buildings.

Gaps in education and training on the effective use of protective coatings on assets to avert corrosion of assets such as water supply infrastructure, oil and gas pipelines, highways and bridges as well as high-rise buildings is proving more expensive than even the cost of financing new infrastructure in the continent.

“Corrosion, which is often viewed as a necessarily evil to be tolerated, is not only an aesthetic issue, but unfortunately it can cause expensive and dangerous damage to buildings, bridges, machinery, equipment, electrical systems and pipelines,” says Petra Mitchell, the executive director of the Corrosion Institute of Southern Africa (CorrISA).

Taking on Corrosion

CorrISA, which is registered with the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition and the only licensee in Southern Africa by the National Association of Corrosion Engineers (NACE), is spearheading efforts to reduce adverse impact of corrosion across the automotive, aeronautical, maritime and construction industry within the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC), a 15-member an inter-governmental organization based in Gaborone, Botswana.

Mitchell cited the example of South Africa where she said corrosion is the major cause of up to 30% of the country’s asset failure far above that attributed to fatigue and brittle fracture that accounts for 20% and 10% of the failures, respectively.

Although South Africa’s share of asset failure attributed to corrosion is far much less than that of developed countries such as United Kingdom and Germany, where more than 50% asset failure is linked to corrosion, the impact on the national economy is quite substantial according to Mitchell.

“The global cost of corrosion is estimated to be US$2.505 trillion, which is equivalent to 3.4 percent of global gross domestic product (GDP),” she says.

In fact, she cites studies in different countries that indicate between 25% to 30% of water supply is lost in the supply chain due to corrosion.

According to a non-governmental organization, Ask for Water GmbH,  rapid corrosion of water supply assets is a problem in at least 20 countries in sub-Saharan Africa.

“While in South Africa, the direct cost of corrosion is estimated to be around ZAR 130 billion (US$7.5 billion), equivalent to 4 percent of the country’s GDP,  indirect costs are at least three times the equivalent of the direct costs,” says Mitchell.

Furthermore, Mitchell says for every single ton of steel produced, at least 50% is used to replace steel that has rusted partly due to the reaction with the environment.

Previously, the Brussels-based non-profit organisation World Steel Association, said global steel demand grew by 0.4% in 2022 to 1840.2 metric tons with the 2023 demand rising 2.2% to  1,881.4 metric tons.

This means more than 890 metric tons of the 2023 steel demand was destined for the replacement of rusted ones hence the increasing role of the use of sustainable protective coatings applied using modern technology in the management of infrastructure.
“There is a massive health and safety risk, financial implications and environmental impact if we do not take care of our respective assets,” says Mitchell.

For instance, the CorrISA executive director says, the Florida condo collapse in Surfside in 2021 where 98 fatalities were reported was linked to asset failure caused by corrosion.

Other incidents she links to corrosion-related asset failure include the Genoa, Italy bridge collapse in 2018, the England fall of railway traffic lights in 2014, the sinking of Erika in 1999, the balcony collapse at the University of Virginia in 1997, and the Bhopal disaster in India in 1984.

“Several independent studies have shown that 25% of the effects and costs of corrosion can be prevented by applying known technology thus placing a significant emphasis on the importance of corrosion education,” Mitchell adds.

“Advances in corrosion prevention such as coatings, use of corrosion-resistant materials and cathodic protection will require corrosion-knowledge engineers and an active research community,” she says.

The education of engineers who serve in design teams, Mitchell says, needs to involve “detail in corrosion-relevant materials selection and more exposure to corrosion education in general.”

In South Africa, CorrISA has previously worked with multi-sectoral group of agencies such as in the automotive, aeronautical, maritime and construction industries to create a forum for the discussion of corrosion and prevention as well as to provide and encourage education and training in modern asset management and protection.

An example of the corrosion control initiative through education and training is through the South Africa Qualification & Certification Committee (SAQCC), especially for blasters, applicators and supervisors.

Infrastructure development calls for expertise in “determining the life cycle performance, safety and cost of engineered products and systems” as a measure against corrosion according to Mitchell.

Although is not possible to completely eliminate the corrosion of an asset, the managers can minimize the failure levels through efficient application of corrosion protective coatings, hence increase the life-cycle of the infrastructure.

Indeed, some reports estimate the global corrosion protective coatings market size at US$11.07 billion in 2023, US$11.50 billion in 2024, and is expected to reach around USD$16.17 billion by 2033, an indication of how crucial the corrosion issue is and the likelihood its prevention will be a key plank in the growth of Africa and global protective coatings market.

As Africa seeks additional financing to expand the continent’s infrastructure levels for faster economic growth, it is time both public and private asset managers gave priority to the integrity of the existing and the new infrastructure with enforceable guidelines on the protection of these assets to minimize corrosion and deploy sustainable and environment-friendly protection coatings.