MND launches Africa subsidiary as cable-car mobility gathers pace

French mountain-transport specialist MND has created a new subsidiary in Casablanca to develop urban and tourism cable-car projects across Africa and the Indian Ocean. MND Africa is intended to give the group a permanent regional presence as cities and mountain destinations look to cable transport for lower-carbon mobility, improved access and alternatives to congested roads.

The new company will be supported by an on-the-ground team and led by Mehdi Caillis-Menadjlia, who has been appointed director of development for Africa and the Indian Ocean. MND says the subsidiary will work with governments, cities and financial partners on projects ranging from urban transport links to tourism and mountain installations.

The move represents a shift from pursuing individual contracts to building a long-term regional platform. MND already operates in around 50 countries and generates more than 70% of its activity internationally, according to regional reporting.

Why Casablanca?

Casablanca will serve as the base for MND Africa’s commercial, technical and institutional activity. The location gives the company access to North African markets while placing it within reach of projects elsewhere on the continent and in the Indian Ocean.

The company’s decision reflects the changing role of cable cars in global transport. Once primarily associated with ski resorts and mountain tourism, ropeways are increasingly being considered for cities where conventional roads, trams or metro systems are difficult or expensive to build.

Cable cars can cross steep slopes, valleys, rivers, rail corridors and congested urban districts without requiring continuous ground-level infrastructure. They can also be delivered in stages and may require less land than a conventional road or rail corridor.

MND’s strategy is aimed at both sides of the market:

• Urban cable cars connecting residential districts with city centres or transport hubs.

• Tourism lifts serving viewpoints, cultural sites and mountain destinations.

• Ropeways providing access across steep or physically separated neighbourhoods.

• Cable systems designed to connect resorts with rail or public-transport networks.

• Associated infrastructure, including stations, parking, public spaces and visitor facilities.

The group says MND Africa will focus on low-carbon, reliable and durable systems rather than selling cable cars as isolated pieces of equipment. The emphasis is on developing projects with public authorities and financial partners from the earliest planning and funding stages.

A continent turning to cable mobility

Urban cable cars are already established in parts of North Africa, while projects are emerging elsewhere in Africa with support from international institutions and development finance.

The demand is being driven by several pressures. African cities are growing rapidly, road congestion is worsening and many urban transport systems struggle to connect peripheral or elevated communities with employment, education and public services.

In such environments, cable cars can provide a direct route over obstacles that make surface transport slow or difficult. A system can operate above traffic and steep terrain, offering predictable journey times without requiring a continuous road widening programme.

The technology is not a universal solution. Capacity is generally lower than a major metro line, stations must be carefully integrated into local neighbourhoods and construction can be challenging in dense urban areas. But for specific corridors, particularly those involving steep topography, a cable car may be more practical than a road or rail alternative.

MND is positioning itself to participate earlier in that decision-making process. Through its Casablanca subsidiary, it can work on feasibility, route planning, financing, construction and long-term operation rather than waiting only for formal equipment tenders.

Réunion provides the reference project

MND is using its ZÈL La Montagne project on Réunion Island as the clearest example of the standard it wants to bring to Africa. The system will connect the lower Bellepierre district of Saint-Denis with the La Montagne plateau in approximately four minutes.

The project is being developed by a consortium led by MND for CINOR, the intercommunal authority in northern Réunion. It will have a line length of approximately 1,315 metres, a vertical rise of 308 metres and two 50-person cabins. The planned capacity is 605 passengers per hour in each direction.

Its most distinctive feature is the planned energy system. ZÈL La Montagne is designed to produce as much energy as it consumes over a year, including the needs of stations, parking areas and associated buildings.

The system combines photovoltaic generation on the roofs of stations and ancillary buildings with energy recovery during cabin descents. As the cabins travel downhill, the system captures energy in a process comparable in principle to regenerative braking in electric vehicles.

A smart grid will manage production, consumption, recovery and distribution across the project. MND and its partners describe the installation as the world’s first 100% energy-neutral urban cable car, with operation planned for 2028.

What energy neutrality means

The ZÈL project’s energy claim is based on annual operational balance. It is intended to generate enough energy through solar production and recovered energy to match the electricity consumed by the ropeway and associated infrastructure over the course of a year.

That is different from saying the cable car will operate without electricity from the grid at every moment. Weather conditions, passenger demand and the timing of solar production will vary. The smart-grid system will therefore balance production and consumption, exporting or drawing electricity as required while targeting a net annual balance.

The concept could be significant for cable-car projects in regions with strong solar resources. Africa and the Indian Ocean offer many locations with high levels of sunlight, although dust, heat, humidity, cyclone exposure and maintenance requirements would need to be addressed in project design.

Energy neutrality also needs to be assessed across the full life cycle. Construction materials, steel, concrete, photovoltaic panels, batteries and replacement components all have environmental costs. A cable car can deliver low-emission operation, but its overall environmental performance depends on construction, maintenance, passenger numbers and the transport modes it replaces.

For MND, ZÈL La Montagne is intended to demonstrate that cable mobility can be more than a relatively low-emission transport mode. It can become an integrated energy system capable of producing part of its own power.

Mehdi Caillis-Menadjlia’s role

MND has entrusted the development of its African and Indian Ocean activities to Mehdi Caillis-Menadjlia. His responsibilities include building relationships with public authorities, identifying opportunities, structuring partnerships and navigating the financing mechanisms required for large transport projects.

That background is important because cable-car projects are not simply equipment sales. They require long development periods, public consultation, land agreements, environmental studies, government approvals, bankable financial models and decisions about ownership and operation.

Caillis-Menadjlia previously initiated the urban cable-car project in Réunion for MND, giving him direct experience of the process the new subsidiary is designed to repeat.

His appointment also signals that MND Africa will be built around local market knowledge and institutional relationships rather than managed remotely from France. The group believes that a permanent presence is necessary to understand how African cities fund, procure and operate transport infrastructure.

From ski lifts to urban transport

MND’s roots are in mountain infrastructure. The group supplies ropeway systems, snowmaking equipment, mountain safety products and leisure installations. Its traditional customers include ski resorts and tourism destinations, but urban transport has become an increasingly important part of its development strategy.

The transition from ski lifts to urban cable cars is logical in technical terms but demanding commercially. A ski lift is typically operated as part of a resort system with seasonal demand, while an urban ropeway must function as public transport, often throughout the year and within a densely populated environment.

Urban users expect frequent service, reliability, simple ticketing, accessibility and integration with buses, trains and walking routes. The stations must also fit into neighbourhoods and connect with existing public spaces. A tourism cable car has different priorities, including views, capacity at peak times, visitor flow and links to attractions.

MND Africa’s remit covers both markets, allowing the company to apply expertise from mountain mobility to urban problems while also developing projects that can operate all year.

The financing challenge

Large cable-car projects require complex financing. Municipalities and national governments may commission them, but funding can involve development banks, international donors, private operators, public-private partnerships and regional authorities.

MND says the new subsidiary will work alongside states, cities and financial partners. That wording reflects the reality that the manufacturer’s role is only one part of the delivery chain. A project can have a technically sound route but fail to proceed if the public authority cannot secure funding or demonstrate sufficient passenger demand.

Development finance may be particularly important in African markets where cities face substantial infrastructure needs but limited municipal budgets. Cable mobility projects may be attractive to donors when they improve access for underserved communities, reduce emissions or support economic development.

However, public transport projects must also be judged by affordability. A cable car intended to reduce social isolation will have limited value if fares are priced primarily for tourists or higher-income users. Fare policy, subsidies and integration with existing transport networks will be central to the success of future schemes.

Opportunities beyond city centres

MND Africa’s focus extends beyond large urban transport corridors. Cable cars can support tourism in areas where roads are expensive to build or environmentally damaging.

Mountain and coastal destinations may use ropeways to reach viewpoints, cultural sites, beaches, plateaus or national parks. Systems can also improve access to rural communities and reduce pressure from private vehicles in sensitive landscapes.

The tourism case is particularly relevant for countries seeking to diversify their visitor offer. A cable car can become an attraction in itself, but it can also unlock hotels, restaurants, walking routes, cultural sites and outdoor activities at higher elevations.

For mountain destinations, the technology could provide a year-round alternative to ski-lift models. A lift serving hiking, sightseeing, mountain biking and local transport may generate more consistent revenue than a system dependent on winter snow.

The challenge is to avoid building isolated attractions with limited local benefit. Strong projects need to connect with local businesses, employment, public services and environmental plans.

A competitive international market

MND Africa enters a market that includes major European, Asian and North American ropeway manufacturers, as well as engineering firms, transport consultants and infrastructure operators. Cable-car procurement is highly competitive, particularly for major urban systems where public authorities require extensive guarantees and long-term service support.

MND’s differentiation is likely to rest on several factors:

• Its experience in both mountain and urban cable transport.

• Its presence in safety, snowmaking and leisure infrastructure.

• The proposed energy-neutral model developed at Réunion.

• A permanent regional team based in Casablanca.

• Experience in working with public authorities and financing partners.

• A claimed focus on durable and low-carbon solutions.

The company’s international reach provides a foundation, but regional execution will be decisive. Local partnerships, maintenance capacity, spare-parts logistics and training will matter as much as the headline technology.

The urban-cable-car debate

Cable cars are increasingly promoted as a solution to urban congestion, but they are not without controversy. Critics often question their capacity, visual impact, resilience in high winds, integration with existing transport and long-term maintenance costs.

A cable car may carry fewer passengers per hour than a metro or bus rapid-transit corridor, although it can often be constructed with less disruption and can cross terrain that makes other modes difficult. Its value depends heavily on the specific route.

The strongest cases usually involve physical barriers: steep hillsides, valleys, rivers, railways, motorways or dense districts where a surface corridor would require expensive land acquisition. The weakest cases are routes built primarily for novelty without enough daily demand.

MND Africa will need to show that future projects are selected for their transport value as well as their visual appeal. The commercial opportunity is significant, but poor route choice could damage confidence in the technology.

A new chapter in cable mobility

The creation of MND Africa reflects a broader change in the ropeway industry. Cable cars are moving from mountain resorts into the centre of discussions about urban mobility, climate adaptation and regional development.

MND’s strategy is to combine that market opportunity with a sustainability narrative built around ZÈL La Montagne. If the Réunion system achieves its energy targets, it could provide a powerful reference for cities and tourism destinations seeking low-carbon transport.

The company is not promising that every African project will be energy-neutral. Instead, it is presenting Réunion as a benchmark for what can be achieved through energy recovery, photovoltaic generation and smart-grid management.

For Africa, the potential lies in applying cable mobility selectively: where it solves a real access problem, complements existing public transport and can be financed and operated over the long term. For MND, the opportunity is to establish itself as a partner in that process rather than simply an equipment supplier.

With its Casablanca subsidiary and a dedicated regional development director, the group is now building the organisational structure to pursue that ambition. The next test will be whether the new platform can turn rising interest in cable transport into funded projects that deliver reliable daily mobility and measurable local benefits.