The Bank of Africa skyscraper in Rabat, Morocco, will be the tallest building on the African continent, at 250-metres, when it opens in 2022.

The mixed-use, 55-floor highrise, which will be designed by Belgium-based architectural studio Besix, will include a luxury hotel, office space, and apartments.

The project, which is being hailed as an "emblematic" addition to Rabat – considered by some to be Morocco’s cultural capital – is part of the €394m (US$ 456.4m, £345.5m) Bouregreg Valley Development scheme. It will be built by construction firm TGCC.

Intergovernmental organisation, Union for the Mediterranean, says the Bouregreg Valley Development scheme was launched to foster sustainable urban development in the metropolitan area of Rabat-Salé-Témara.

Commenting on the Bank of Africa building, Othman Benjelloun, the founder of FinanceCom International – which is partially funding the project – said it would be a "source of pride, both for the Kingdom of Morocco and for the African continent as a whole".

Construction is scheduled to begin on 1 November.