At a Glance
- Africa’s tallest towers signal rising investment and renewed demand for modern business districts.
- Egypt leads high-rise growth as new urban centers attract developers, firms and global capital.
- Skyscrapers reshape cities, expand office stock and support mixed-use economic development zones.
Africa’s skyline is being rewritten by steel, glass and capital. From Cairo to Johannesburg, a new generation of superstructures is rising, each one a physical marker of investment confidence, urban renewal and shifting economic power.
These towers are more than architectural statements; they reflect how governments, investors and developers are positioning cities for the next phase of urban expansion.
Egypt is at the center of this transformation. Fueled by its new administrative capital and large-scale state-backed construction drive, the country now hosts most of Africa’s tallest buildings, eclipsing long-dominant markets such as South Africa.
But the trend stretches across the continent. In Morocco, Kenya, Ethiopia, Nigeria and Tanzania, ambitious high-rise projects signal maturing financial systems, renewed demand for premium office stock and growing appetite for mixed-use developments tailored to globally mobile residents.
The continent’s tallest towers have become anchors for new business districts, magnets for capital, and symbols of rising aspirations.
They attract multinationals, high-net-worth investors, and fast-growing local firms seeking modern space.
They also reshape skylines, push engineering boundaries, and redefine how African cities compete for talent and investment.
Shore.africa profiles 30 tallest buildings in Africa, alongside what each represents in the continent’s evolving economic story.
- Iconic Tower
Country: Egypt
Height: 393.8 meters tall (77 floors)
Location: located in the New Administrative Capital.
Brief: The tallest building in Africa anchors Egypt’s New Administrative Capital. Designed as a financial services magnet, the tower signals Egypt’s ambition to challenge global business hubs. Its scale and engineering reflect a state-driven bid to attract capital, multinationals and high-income residents to a new administrative and commercial core.
- Great Mosque of Algiers Tower
Country: Algeria
Height: 264.3 meters (36 floors)
Location: Algiers, Algeria. Completed in 2019, the Great Mosque of Algiers Tower, also known as the Djamaa El Djazair minaret, is the tallest structure in Algeria and the tallest minaret in the world. Part of the Grand Mosque complex, it features a combination of Islamic architecture and modern design, housing observation decks, cultural spaces, and a library. The tower stands as a symbol of Algeria’s architectural ambition and religious heritage. - Mohammed VI Tower
Country: Morocco
Height: 250 meters tall (55 floors)
Location: Located in Salé, near the Bouregreg River. Completed in 2023, this skyscraper is the tallest building in North Africa and the second tallest in Africa. It features a mix of residential, office, and hotel spaces and is designed to meet international green building standards, including LEED Gold and HQE certifications. - The Leonardo
Country: South Africa
Height: 234 meters tall( 55 floors)
Location: mixed-use development in Sandton, Johannesburg. The Leonardo is located in Sandton, Johannesburg. Completed in 2019, it is the tallest building in South Africa and the fourth tallest in Africa. - Carlton Centre
Country: South Africa
Height: 223 meters tall (50 floors)
Location: office and shopping complex in Johannesburg. Completed in 1973 - Hassan II Mosque (Minaret)
Country: Morocco
Height: 210 meters tall
Location: Located in Casablanca. Completed in 1993, the minaret of the Hassan II Mosque is the tallest religious structure in the world. Overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, it is a defining landmark of Moroccan architecture and Islamic heritage - Commercial Bank of Ethiopia HQ
Country: Ethiopia
Height: 209.3 meters tall (46 floors)
Location: Located in Addis Ababa. Completed in 2021, this skyscraper is the tallest building in Ethiopia and East Africa. It serves as the headquarters of the Commercial Bank of Ethiopia and symbolizes the country’s growing financial and economic ambitions. - Alamein Downtown Iconic Tower
Country: Egypt
Height: Between 207.8 meters (56 floors)
Location: The Alamein Downtown Iconic Tower, located in the heart of New Alamein City, Egypt, is a prominent addition to the city’s downtown development. Recently completed in 2025, the development consists of four iconic towers, Tower 1, Tower 2, Tower 3, and Tower 4, making it a significant architectural landmark in the region. - Britam Tower
Country: Kenya
Height: 200.1 meters tall(31 floors)
Location: office complex in Upper Hill, Nairobi. It was completed in 2017. - CBE Headquarters
Country: Ethiopia
Height: 198 meters tall(46 floors)
Location: Commercial Bank of Ethiopia headquarters in Addis Ababa - Nairobi GTC Office Tower
Country: Kenya
Height: 184 meters tall(43 floors)
Location: office block in Westlands, Nairobi - Ponte City
Country: South Africa
Height: 172.8-173 meters tall( 54 floors)
Location: residential skyscraper in Johannesburg - UAP Tower
Country: Kenya
Height: 163 meters tall(33 floors)
Location: office space in Upper Hill, Nairobi - NECOM House
Country: Nigeria
Height: 160.3 meters tall (32 floors)
Location: telecommunications headquarters in Lagos. It was completed in 1979. Formerly known as NITEL Tower, NECOM House has been Nigeria’s tallest building for over four decades. It also serves as a lighthouse beacon for Lagos Harbour. - Tanzania Ports Authority Tower
Country: Tanzania
Height: 157 meters tall (40 floors)
Location: headquarters of Tanzania Ports Authority in Dar es Salaam - Marble Towers
Country: South Africa
Height: 152.7 meters tall (32 floors)
Location: commercial offices in Johannesburg - Pearl Dawn
Country: South Africa
Height: 152 meters tall(31 floors)
Location: residential skyscraper in Durban - PSPF Towers
Country: Tanzania
Height: 153 meters tall (35 floors)
Location: office and retail space in Dar es Salaam - KwaDukuza eGoli Hotel
Country: South Africa
Height: 140 meters tall
Location: skyscraper in Johannesburg’s Central Business District. It is also referred to as the Johannesburg Sun and Towers. - Champagne Pearl Tower (Eko Pearl Towers)
Country: Nigeria
Height: 134 meters (34 floors)
Location: Eko Atlantic, Lagos. It was completed in 2017, and it stands as the tallest residential building in Nigeria and part of the Eko Pearl Towers complex.
21. New Administrative Capital Building D03, Egypt
Country: Egypt
Height: 176 meters (45 floors)
Brief: D03 supports Egypt’s relocation of ministries and agencies. Its modern facilities help consolidate government operations into the new capital’s business district.
22. Gate Towers East, Egypt
Country: Egypt
Height: 170 meters (44 floors)
Brief: Part of a twin-tower complex, Gate Towers East anchors residential and commercial activity in the new administrative capital, targeting mid- to high-income urban residents.
23. Gate Towers West, Egypt
Country: Egypt
Height: 170 meters ( 44 floors)
Brief: Complementing the East Tower, it expands Egypt’s high-rise housing stock. The project boosts local construction, engineering and real-estate supply chains.
24. Ponte City Apartments, South Africa
Country: South Africa
Height: 172.8m, 54 floors
Brief: An iconic cylindrical residential tower in Johannesburg, Ponte City has seen cycles of decline and regeneration. Today, it is a symbol of urban renewal in Hillbrow.
25. Fouda Tower, Egypt
Country: Egypt
Height: 166 meters (50 floors)
Brief: Situated in the new capital, the tower adds to Egypt’s surge in premium commercial and residential developments backed by government infrastructure spending.
26. Bunge Tower, Kenya
Country: Kenya
Height: 125 meters (26 floors)
Brief: The tower houses Kenya’s Parliament, enhancing Nairobi’s political district. Its prominence reinforces the city’s administrative importance.
27. Bank of Mauritius Tower
Country: Mauritius
Height: 124 meters (25 floors)
Brief: Port Louis’s leading financial tower hosts monetary and financial institutions, supporting the island nation’s position as a regional financial center.
28. Union Bank Building, Nigeria
Country: Nigeria
Height: 124 meters (28 floors)
Brief: An enduring symbol of Nigerian banking, the Lagos tower strengthens the institution’s corporate presence in the country’s financial capital.
29. Kine Centre, South Africa
Country: South Africa
Height: 123 meters (27 floors)
Brief: – Located in Johannesburg, the tower features corporate tenants and retail activity, contributing to the city’s commercial density.
30. El Maadi Residential Tower 5, Egypt
Country: Egypt
Height: 122 meters (35 floors)
Brief: One of Cairo’s taller residential buildings, it reflects rising demand for vertical housing driven by population growth and urban congestion.
