Here’s the latest in ESM’s regular series, Notes From Africa, which brings you the latest retail, consumer goods, and food-and-beverage stories from across the African continent. Past editions can be found here.
Rwanda: Bralirwa Launches New Packaging Line
Bralirwa, the local subsidiary of the Dutch brewing group Heineken, has unveiled a new production line at its brewery in Rubavu District. The company invested over €30 million ($32 million) into the project, which included the installation of its inaugurated packaging line.
The move comes as the company aims to develop its presence in the Rwandan beer market. The new production line will operate with reduced energy and water consumption.
Cameroon: SABC Posts A Drop In Revenue In 2023
In Cameroon, Société anonyme des boissons du Cameroun (SABC), a subsidiary of the French group Castel, reported a revenue of 729 billion Fcfa ($1.2 billion) in its 2023 financial year. This represents a drop of 4 billion Fcfa ($6.5 million) compared to the previous year.
According to the company, 1.1 billion litres were produced and sold compared to 1 billion liters sold in 2022. It is worth noting that the company has invested in new facilities to boost production, with the recent extension of the Yaoundé plant to include a mixed line (beer, mineral water, soft drinks) in order to boost output by 18% to a production rate of 35,000 bottles per hour.
Kenya: De Heus Begins Construction of Plant
In Kenya, De Heus, a leading player in the animal feed industry, has kicked off the building of a new unit at Athi River in Machakos County. Costing a total of $23 million, the plant is scheduled to come on stream in the second quarter of 2025.
Once operational, the plant is scheduled to supply 200,000 tonnes of feed per year at full capacity to meet the needs of poultry, pig, and dairy production. It is expected to create some 1,250 direct and indirect jobs. This investment should boost the efforts already undertaken by the government to increase local feed production in the country.
Nigeria: Supreme Meat To Launch A Modern Pork Processing Plant
In Nigeria, the agri-food company Supreme Meat Limited is currently in the process of establishing a modern pork processing plant. The unit, the capacity of which has not been unveiled, is expected to boost the processing sector, which faces challenges such as inadequate infrastructure and limited access to markets.
With its project, Supreme Meat aims to take advantage of the surging global demand for pork products in the local market. The country is the largest producer of pig meat in Africa with around 350,000 metric tonnes, according to FAO.
Kenya: SunCulture To Receive $12m For Expansion
Kenya-based agritech company SunCulture is set to benefit from a $12 million funding from the InfraCo Africa financing platform. This amount will be used to expand its solar-powered irrigation solutions across sub-Saharan Africa.
The company offers farmers a more sustainable way of managing climate-driven rainfall variability and avoids the need for costly, polluting fuel pumps. Its offer includes the design, manufacture, financing, installation, and maintenance of complete solar irrigation systems with safe, low-voltage DC pumps.
Benin: Benin Cashew Gets $16m Support
Benin Cashew Company has received financial support of 10 billion Fcfa ($16 million) from the West African Development Bank (BOAD). With this sum, the company will build cashew nut shell processing plants in its agro-industrial complex based in the Glo-Djigbè Industrial Zone (GDIZ) in the south of the country.
This will add to existing plants that are already under construction in the area. The move comes as the country aims to add value to local agricultural products through industrialisation.
