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.
Algeria: Milk And Flour Unit To Be Built In Algeria
A powdered milk and infant flour production plant is to be built at El-Harrach in the capital Algiers. Costing a total of four billion dinars ($29.8 million), the plant will have a production capacity of 15,000 tonnes of milk powder and 10,000 tonnes of flour per year. It is scheduled to come on stream in the second quarter of 2025, and will eventually create over 200 jobs.
Nigeria: BUA Foods To Increase Flour Production
Nigerian food company BUA Food plc has signed an agreement with the Turkish industrial group Imas, which specialises in milling equipment. The agreement covers the construction of four new flour mills with a combined production capacity of 3,200 tonnes of flour per day. This initiative is aimed in particular at increasing the company's market share in the edible flour segment. At the end of the first half of its 2024 fiscal year, which ended on 30 June, the BUAFoods group reported sales of ₦227 billion ($144.3 million) in bakery flours. This is three times more than the 75 billion naira ($47.6 million) in revenues for the same period a year earlier.
Chad: A Pasta Production Unit To Be Launched By 2025
In Chad, Axor, a subsidiary of Alapala, the Turkish leader in milling equipment, has signed an agreement with MENA Food Chad to build a pasta production unit. The factory will produce two tons of pasta per hour. The plant is scheduled to be commissioned in the first half of 2025. It will also be the first local pasta production facility in the country.
Namibia: Namibian Breweries Unveils A Wine Packaging Line
Namibian Breweries Limited (NBL), a subsidiary of Heineken in Namibia, has inaugurated aN$337 million ($18.76 million) wine packaging line. This will allow the company to locally packaged popular ciders such as Savanna and Hunters for the first time, reducing reliance on imports and bolstering local production. In 2023, NBL reported sales growth of 12% to four billion Namibian dollars ($223 million).
Kenya: Naivasha To Get A Potato Processing Plant In Kenya
Crystal Chillers and Frozen Foods has launched the construction of a frozen potato production unit in the Naivasha Special Economic Zone in Nakuru County. The project is estimated to cost 650 million shillings ($5 million) whereas it is scheduled to take six months to complete. The unit will have an initial processing capacity of 1,000 tonnes of potatoes per month, and its production will be dedicated to the local and export markets. This investment should also help reduce post-harvest losses, which account for around 19% of Kenya's potato production each year.
Cameroon: Hatchery Launch In Maroua
In Maroua, the capital of the Far North region of Cameroon, an ultra-modern egg incubation unit has been inaugurated. With a capacity of 57,000 eggs, it cost 100 million Fcfa (167 000 $) and will hatch19,200 chicks. It is the second unit of its kind, after the one in the North-West region, managed by the Caisse de développement de l'élevage du Nord-Ouest.
Namibia: Eos Capital Acquires 15% of Namibia Berries
Namibian private equity fund manager Eos Capital has acquired a 15% minority stake in Namibia Berries, a portfolio company engaged in the local production of blueberries for export.With this investment, Eos Capital will support Namibia Berries' growth strategy. The producer plans to expand its operating area to over 500 hectares over the next five to seven years.
