GZ Industries of Nigeria Plans $100 Million Can Plant in Kenya
GZ Industries Ltd., a Nigerian can manufacturer, said it will invest $100 million in a plant in Kenya to tap growing demand for soft drinks.
The company, which sells cans to Guinness Nigeria Plc, a unit of Diageo Plc, and Nigeria Bottling Co., plans to start operations at a 1.2 billion can-a-year plant near the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, in the first quarter of 2015, it said in an e-mailed statement today. GZI, based in Agbara, Nigeria, will initially target Kenya’s soda industry, which produced 371.4 million liters in 2011, before exporting to regional markets including Rwanda, Tanzania and Ethiopia, it said.
“We mark our entry into Kenya as a way of contributing to the growth of the manufacturing sector,” GZI Chief Executive Officer Motti Goldmintz said in the statement.
Read more: GZ Industries of Nigeria Plans $100 Million Can Plant in Kenya
Multi-Billion Railway Project in Rwanda
Rwanda, Burundi and Tanzania have always maintained fruitful ties, especially as far as transport is concerned. The landlocked Rwanda and Burundi use the Central Transport Corridor to access the sea through the Dar es Salaam Port in Tanzania. The Central Transport Corridor running from Rwanda provides the possibility of accessing the Dar es Salaam Port via a road-rail or a lake-rail multi-modal combination. The Central Transport Corridor is approximately 1 400 km long from Rwanda and 1 500 km from Burundi. Rwanda and Burundi also uses the North Transport Corridor which is about 1 800 km long from Rwanda and about 2 100 km from Burundi. This Corridor provides access to the Mombasa Port in Kenya via Uganda.
In 2008 the three countries developed transport sector policies aimed at improving the efficiency of the transport system and diversify the modes of transport.
The $11 Billion Trans-Kalahari Railway (TKR) on Course
Botswana and Namibia were to sign a bilateral agreement for the development of the Trans-Kalahari Railway deal on April 20, 2013. This was not to be as the signing was postponed after the Namibia requested for more time to finalize the technical issues involved.
The two South African countries had in 2009 signed a Memorandum of Understanding on the TKR but it is not enough to pave way for the commencement of the project. The bilateral agreement is required for corporation between the two countries and to pave way for the appointment of transaction consultants to lead the mega project.
The proposed TKR is meant to link Botswana’s Mmamabula coalfields with the Walvis Bay Port in Namibia. The 1 500 km railway line is expected to boost trade in Botswana and turn it into a regional trade hub.
According to Botswana’s Ministry of Transport and Communications, the railway project would contribute to economic development of the country by means of promoting regional trade and attracting direct investment from foreign investors.
The TKR route will run parallel to the Trans-Kalahari Highway (TKH) which will facilitate faster and more efficient transportation of goods between the two countries.
Read more: The $11 Billion Trans-Kalahari Railway (TKR) on Course
Construction of Ethiopia-Kenya road in progress
An Ethiopian official said on Saturday that the construction of an asphalt road linking Ethiopia to Kenya was going on.
Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Samson Wondimu, communication director at the Ethiopian Roads Authority said that the 499km asphalt concrete road stretches through southern Ethiopia to Kenya.
He said the Addis Ababa-Nairobi-Mombasa road is part of the Cape Town- Egypt highway, which will traverse nine African countries including Ethiopia.
"Kenya constructs part of the stated road linking Mombasa with the Ethiopian border and Ethiopia on its part constructs the road from the border to its capital, Addis Ababa," Wondimu said.
