What NAKO ILISO does

NAKO ILISO is an African consulting engineering and project management firm legally constituted as Nako/Iliso (Pty) Ltd, headquartered in Centurion, South Africa, and established in 1995. The firm delivers civil/structural, environmental, transportation, infrastructure, mining & industrial, and asset-management services through six interconnected service lines, generating revenue via project-based professional services fees across feasibility, design, contract administration, and construction monitoring phases. It is 100% owned by engineers who work full-time for the company, with more than 95% of shareholding held by black individuals, and operates from offices in six South African cities plus Windhoek (Namibia), Kampala (Uganda), and Lusaka (Zambia) — with project execution also reaching Botswana, Nigeria, Lesotho, and Mauritius through strategic partners. Total headcount exceeds 250 technical and support staff, overseen by a board of nine executive and two non-executive directors with equal voting power.

The go-to-market is sales-led and predominantly tender-based. NAKO ILISO targets South African public-sector clients (national, provincial, and local municipalities), state-owned enterprises (SANRAL, Eskom, PRASA, TCTA, Mhlathuze Water), and private mining, energy, and real-estate corporates (Sasol, Growthpoint). Marquee engagements include structural engineering and construction monitoring on four 2010 FIFA World Cup stadiums, environmental authorisation for the Bombela/Gautrain system, planning and design of the City of Tshwane BRT, design review at Eskom's Kusile Power Station, and feasibility work on the Chobe/Zambezi Water Transfer Scheme. Marketing channels are limited to professional-association memberships (CESA, FIDIC, SAICE, SABTACO, IAIA, GBCSA, FAEO, and others), project portfolio website content, and direct client engagement; the firm has no disclosed app, API, or proprietary software platform.

NAKO ILISO is a founding member of NAKO Group (formed 2014 with sister firms NAKO LBE and NAKO TRIOCON), the first African-owned multi-disciplinary consulting engineering consortium. Technology footprint is conventional — structural modelling packages and standard CAD/design tooling — with no disclosed AI/ML capability, automation platform, or data flywheel. Revenue, contract values, and pricing are not publicly disclosed; the firm operates on quote-based, scope-negotiated engagements typical of the consulting engineering industry.

Name

NAKO ILISO

Legal name

Nako/Iliso (Pty) Ltd

Website

https://iliso.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

NAKO ILISO is a South African, engineer-owned African consulting engineering and project management firm founded in 1995 that delivers civil, structural, environmental, transportation, infrastructure, and mining/industrial engineering services to governments, state-owned enterprises, and private clients across eight African countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Engineering Consulting Services

NAICS

Engineering Services (541330), Engineering Services (54133), Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services (5413)

SIC

Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700), Services-Engineering Services (8711)

akta.pro primary industry

Instrumentation, Controls & Automation Engineering Consulting (BPAHAIAM)

Keywords

• Consulting engineering services
• Project management consulting
• Civil structural engineering
• Infrastructure engineering design
• Environmental management consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Centurion

HQ country

South Africa

HQ region

Africa

Offices9 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Engineering Consultancy Services: Professional consulting engineering services including civil/structural engineering design, environmental management, and project/construction management for infrastructure projects. Revenue is generated through project-based fees for design, documentation, contract administration, and construction monitoring.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

NAKO ILISO is an African consulting engineering and project management firm that provides civil/structural engineering design, environmental management, transportation planning, water and infrastructure engineering, mining and industrial engineering, and project/construction management services. The firm delivers full-lifecycle engineering consultancy from feasibility studies through detailed design, contract administration, and construction monitoring for infrastructure projects across Africa.

Product overview

NAKO ILISO is an African consulting engineering and project management firm offering a unified suite of engineering services. The company provides six interconnected service offerings: Environmental Management (impact assessments, water resource planning, sustainability), Infrastructure (water treatment, bulk transfers, township services, rural development), Management Services (project/construction management, procurement, feasibility studies), Mining & Industrial (EPC execution, mechanical/electrical engineering), Structures (structural design for buildings, bridges, stadiums), and Transportation (BRT systems, highways, rail, airports). These services are delivered as integrated consulting packages tailored to client infrastructure needs across Africa.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Environmental Management Environmental impact assessment, water resource management and planning, environmental management systems, environmental risk assessment, sustainability assessments, and waste management services for public and private sector clients.
• Infrastructure Water and wastewater treatment engineering, bulk water transfer schemes, human settlement and urban planning, township services, and rural development services for government and municipal clients.
• Management Services Project and programme management, government and institutional development support, procurement management, construction management, feasibility studies, and infrastructure asset management for public and private clients.
• Mining & Industrial EPC(M) project execution, process and metallurgical engineering, mechanical and piping, electrical and instrumentation, mining and geology, factories and warehouses, and foundations for major mechanical equipment for mining and industrial clients.
• Structures Structural engineering for shopping centres, office blocks, water retaining structures, bridges and culverts, stadiums, recreational facilities, residential settlements, and business and industrial parks.
• Transportation Planning and design of public transport, BRT, road improvement and highways, integrated transport planning, transport modeling, rail stations, tracks and signalling, airports, ports and harbours for government and private clients.
• Asset Management Infrastructure asset management and facilities management services for sustainable development of built assets for public and private sector asset owners.

Named customers14 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• NAKO LBEcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2014NAKO LBE is a sister consulting engineering firm and one of the founding members of NAKO Group. Specializes in civil and structural engineering with expertise in unique technology solutions for industrial civil/structural engineering structures. Contributed to notable projects such as Medupi Power Station and Sasol Air Purification Plants. Based in Secunda, South Africa.
• NAKO TRIOCONcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2014NAKO TRIOCON is a sister consulting engineering firm and founding member of NAKO Group. Specializes in electrical, electronic, mechanical and fire engineering disciplines. Has delivered projects across Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, Nigeria, Swaziland and Zambia with a team of over 45 engineers.
• Joint Venture Partners (for 2010 FIFA World Cup Stadiums)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNAKO ILISO led joint ventures for structural design and construction monitoring of multiple 2010 FIFA World Cup stadiums including Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium and Mangaung Stadium, collaborating with other engineering firms.
• LBE (for Sasol PP2 Project)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerILISO in Joint Venture with LBE worked on the Sasol Polypropylene Plant PP2 Project, with ILISO responsible for structural design of industrial building and loading facility.
• Bateman Africa (for Kusile Power Station)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerNAKO ILISO was appointed by Bateman Africa (now Tenova Mining and Minerals South Africa) as review consultants and construction managers for Kusile Power Station bulk earthworks and stockpiling yards, acting as sub-consultant.
• AureconminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNAKO ILISO has collaborated with Aurecon on joint ventures for infrastructure projects, including video content of ILISO Aurecon JV 7000 project.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Bigen Africa Group: South African consulting engineering and development advisory firm with pan-African operations across transportation, water, health and education infrastructure. Closely comparable to NAKO ILISO in target clients (governments and development financiers), service scope, and BBBEE positioning.
• Zutari: Africa-focused consulting engineering firm formed in 2020 from the spin-out of Aurecon's African operations. Headquartered in South Africa with continental footprint across infrastructure, transport, water, mining, and energy — directly competing with NAKO ILISO for the same government and mining/industrial mandates.

Broad incumbents

• Hatch Africa: Engineering and project management consultancy with strong mining, metals, and energy practices across Africa, including Kusile-adjacent work. Overlaps with NAKO ILISO's Mining & Industrial service line and competes on Eskom and mining house mandates.
• Arup: Global engineering consultancy with established presence in South Africa across infrastructure, transport, and built environment. Competitor on major stadium, rail, and built-environment projects where NAKO ILISO has its heritage work.
• WSP Africa: Global professional services consultancy with established South African and Sub-Saharan African presence in transportation, environment, water, and property. Competes for the same major public-sector infrastructure mandates as NAKO ILISO but from a global platform.
• Aurecon: Global engineering and infrastructure advisory with major operations in South Africa and rest of Africa, working across transport, water, energy, and built environment. Past JV partner on infrastructure bids and structural competitor on mega-project tenders.
• SMEC (Surbana Jurong): Global engineering consultancy (part of Surbana Jurong) with operations in Africa covering transport, water, and urban development infrastructure. Comparable in service breadth to NAKO ILISO and competes for similar public-sector and donor-funded mandates.
• Royal HaskoningDHV: Dutch-headquartered engineering consultancy with established South African operations in water, transport, and the built environment. Direct overlap with NAKO ILISO's water transfer, transport, and environmental management service lines.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about NAKO ILISO