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.
South Africa: Delta Corp to Launch Beer Production Plant
Delta Corporation, Zimbabwe's leading brewer, plans to invest in a new sorghum-based beer production unit at United National Breweries (UNB), its South African subsidiary, next year.
The new plant will produce Chibuku Super, one of the company's flagship beer brands, by March 2024. This move should enable the company to reduce import costs and improve product availability on the local market.
Zimbabwe: $2.2m Fertiliser Plant to Be Launched in 2024
Zimbabwean agri-company, ZimPhos, is planning to invest $2.2 million in a fertiliser granulation plant in the first quarter of 2024. The plant is expected to produce up to 120,000 tonnes of NPK fertiliser per year. This will be the group's second fertiliser plant, following the launch of a $1.1 million unit in September 2022. This project is part of ZimPhos's efforts to support the emergence of a local fertiliser industry.
Malawi: Bakhresa to Build $100m Cooking Oil Refinery
In Malawi, the agri-business company Bakhresa Malawi Limited is set to commission a cooking oil refinery in Blantyre by next May. Costing a total of 170 billion kwachas ($101 million), the unit is expected to crush 500 tonnes of soybeans a day and supply other by-products such as soybean meal. It will source up to 150,000 tonnes of raw materials a year from local producers.
Nigeria: Agro-Sugar Project Announced for Niger State
In Nigeria, the local government of Niger State has signed a memorandum of understanding with Alternative Bank, a subsidiary of Sterling Bank, to commit $65 million for the benefit of the sugar industry.
This amount will be used primarily to finance the establishment of a 5-hectare sugarcane plantation in the state and the construction of a sugarcane processing unit. The facility will also produce methanol and energy from bagasse.
Uganda: Cold Storage Facility to Be Developed
In Uganda, construction of a cold storage facility has begun on a 0.8-hectare site near Entebbe airport. The $10 million solar-powered facility is co-financed by Denmark and the European Union (EU). It will have a storage capacity of 30,000 tonnes of horticultural produce for export. The project comes as the country aims to triple its horticultural export revenues to $150 million in the long term.
Côte d'Ivoire: Mango Processing Plant Announced
In Côte d'Ivoire, a mango processing plant is to be installed in the Nord of the country on a 3-hectare site. Costing a total of 14.8 billion CFA francs ($24.5 million), this unit is part of the Programme d'appui au développement des filières agricoles (PADFA) initiated by the government in 2018. It should help reduce post-harvest losses of mangoes, which account for up to 30% of production each year.
Zambia: Good Nature Agro Raises $8.5m for Expansion
The Zambian agri-food firm Good Nature Agro, which provides agricultural inputs and financing, has secured an equity investment of $8.5 million from Oikocredit, Goodwell Investments, and Global Partnerships.
These funds will be used to expand activity in farmer financing, with the aim of increasing its client base up to 50,000 farmers by 2027. This investment should also enable farmers to achieve higher yields as well as better access to markets to sell their produce, it said.
Article by Espoir Olodo
