Manufacturing firm GZ Industries has decided to invest US$100mn to construct an aluminium can manufacturing plant at Sultan Hamud Township in Kenya
The company plans to begin operations in early 2015 and will produce 1.2bn cans annually, it stated.
Motti Goldmintz, CEO of GZ Industries, said, "The decision to invest in an aluminium can line follows a significant upturn in the demand for canned beverages in Kenya. The total annual production of sodas in the market has reached a high of 371.4mn litres in 2011."
According to statistics, beer production in Kenya has also hit a high of 2.8mn hectolitres - the highest in the East African region. The company said that the manufacturing unit will be opened on the Mombasa Highway, 109km from Nairobi. The plant is expected to create over 20,000 jobs.
GZ Industries is based Agbara, Ogun State, Nigeria and sells cans to Guinness Nigeria PLC, a unit of Diageo PLC and Nigeria Bottling Company. Over the years, Kenya has been importing cans for packaging beers and soft drinks. The new plant would help cut costs in Kenya and across the wider East African Community.
The company has said that it plans to expand to regional markets targeting Uganda, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Rwanda and Burundi.
Mwangi Mumero
