Issue 16
Barloworld Equipment : Equipping Africa
Barloworld Equipment is always planning ahead to ensure they can deliver effective, value-added solutions to their customers.
Kenblest Group
Baking family values in every loaf Kenblest have a proud heritage and history as a family run business, baking bread of the highest quality in Kenya Writer Matt Bone Project Manager Callum Philp Kenblest's roots can be traced back to 1937, with the incorporation of Shah Kanji Ladha and Company in Thika, Kenya, by Kanji Ladha Shah. The shop located in the centre of Thika town, traded in textiles and general goods. This humble beginning was to pave the way for diversification throughout the years until Mayur Mohanlal Shah joined in 1981, having graduated as a pharmacist from John Moore University and completed a Diploma in Baking in the United Kingdom. Given the company's strong understanding and experience of the Kenyan market, the directors identified a large gap in the industry for good quality bread; and so plans were drawn up to expand into the bakery industry, resulting in the incorporation of Kenblest limited. In August 1982, the Kenblest bakery was commissioned with the prime objective to manufacture and deliver good quality and affordable bread to Kenyan consumers. Since 1982, the company focused heavily on combining international business practices into the workings of Kenblest bakery. Through dedication and hard work, coupled with strong business acumen, Kenblest flourished and within four years the bakery expanded its capacity from 80,000 to 230,000 loaves per day. Expansion in 2006 increased daily production capacity to 330,000 loaves per day, making Kenblest the single largest bread producer under one roof in Kenya. Jinit Shah, CEO of Kenblest, is extremely proud of…
Beiersdorf East Africa
Defining the future of skincare Best known for its NIVEA skincare product range, Beiersdorf are strengthening their market position through innovative research and strong branding Writer Emily Jarvis Project Manager Tom Cullum Beiersdorf is a global skincare company with more than 150 affiliates and over 17,000 employees worldwide. In 2012, Group sales posted €6.04 billion. The company's international success is founded on strong brands in all the relevant skincare categories: NIVEA in the mass market, Eucerin in the pharmacy segment and La Prairie in the luxury skincare segment. Today – 100 years after its creation – NIVEA is one of the largest skincare brands in the world and available in more than 200 countries worldwide, and market leaders in 46 of these. Further to this, Eucerin is a leading medical skincare brand of dermatological cosmetics; and in the premium segment, La Prairie is a leader in the exclusive anti-aging skincare market. When Group sales reached the €6 billion milestone in 2012, this marked a great achievement for the skincare manufacturer; but Beiersdorf continue to push for greater things. For over 130 years, Beiersdorf have been dedicated to meeting the consumers' individual needs and are considered to be the "inventors of modern skincare". Through Research and Development expertise, innovative products, and strong brands, the skincare giant strives to be number one in their field. Every day, millions of consumers trust Beiersdorf's innovative, high quality skin and body care products. Their successful international brand portfolio is tailored to meet the individual needs and wishes of consumers, as well…
Nature’s Garden
We do the gardening for you Nature's Garden have always aimed to offer the perfect balance of quality, taste, variety and convenience to its customers Writer Matt Bone Project Manager Callum Philp Nature's Garden have been in the business of producing frozen vegetables and chips in South Africa for over 15 years. Throughout this relatively short period of time, the company have grown vastly but have adhered to a strong set of ideals originally set out when the company began. Nature's Garden still believe in sourcing only the best quality vegetables from hand-picked local farmers and delivering them in perfect condition to their customers. With a constantly changing market, Nature's Garden have always aimed to offer the perfect balance of quality, taste, variety and convenience to its customers. Families in South Africa are becoming far more conscious of their diet and eating habits and are looking towards companies in the food industry to become as conscious with their products. With many people juggling a busy, modern lifestyle, Nature's Garden proudly highlight that growing all your own vegetables is simply not a realistic option, so instead they will do the gardening for you. It is this simple mantra that has made Nature's Garden the successful company it is today. From Fields to Freezers Nature's Garden believe their vegetables are of the highest quality because they handpick only the best farms and farmers who share in their commitment to deliver quality and sustainable farming. The company proudly highlights that they have over 50 hand-picked farms across South Africa,…
Baobab Resources : Masterful Mining in Mozambique
Baobab Resources is pushing forward with new mining projects that will put Mozambique on the natural resources map.
Gulf African Bank
Kenya's leading Islamic bank Gulf African Bank are an award winning financial institution – on both a local and international scale – and are the first fully fledged Islamic bank in Kenya Writer Emily Jarvis Project Manager Sheridan Halls Gulf African Bank (GAB) are the first fully-fledged Islamic bank in Kenya, whose transactions are based on model Islamic economics - forbidding interest, and is an alternative to conventional banking. This mode of banking, a flagship of the Gulf African Bank locally, has spread widely, attracting both Muslims and non-Muslims alike. The bank have maintained a sustainable business model based on rapid customer acquisition and retention; a calculated expansion strategy, and a firm commitment to their mission, vision and core values. The bank is a bona fide Islamic financial services provider and all of the bank's products and services are Shari'ah compliant. "Gulf African Bank is definitely an informed choice, for anyone from any faith, thinking about a perfect place to keep their money and seek financing in Africa and beyond," cites Abdalla Abdulkhalik, CEO and Board Member of Gulf African Bank. GAB are an award-winning financial institution on both a local and international scale. Last year, the company was crowned the best bank in Financial Management and Productivity and Quality at the annual Company of the Year Awards (COYA). "This is a big achievement from a very credible source. The bank also emerged as the Best Islamic Bank in Kenya in 2013 during the annual Islamic Finance News Awards in Dubai," Abdulkhalik proudly says. Reliable and…
Mitsumi Distribution
Africa's fastest growing IT distributor Mitsumi's regional geographical coverage and extensive customer base has made the group the largest and fastest growing distributor in Africa Writer Emily Jarvis Project Manager Donovan Smith Mitsumi IT Distribution was formed in Nairobi, Kenya in the year 1996 with the aim of introducing appropriate and affordable technologies to Africa and now 18 years on, the company are proud to be a Pan-Africa Distributor. As authorised distributors for leading global IT hardware and software brands, Mitsumi have a growing brand portfolio including the following well known brands: Acer, APC, Asus, BenQ, Dell, Dell SonicWall, D-Link, EPSON, HP, Huawei, IBM, iSurf, Lenovo, LINKSYS, Microsoft, Polycom, Rivedbed, Samsung, Sandisk, Toshiba, Tripp-Lite and WD. As one of the Africa's largest IT distributors, Mitsumi is the conduit through which the power of technology flows to 19 Countries in Africa. In the fiscal year 2011, the company sold IT products to more than 6,000 technology resellers in over 12 Countries. Every day these resellers depend on Mitsumi to help them costeffectively support the technology needs of end users of all sizes, including small and medium-sized businesses (SME's), large enterprises, educational institutions, government agencies and consumers. Mitsumi is a leading technology distributor with a wide network of resellers acting as a one-stop-shop in IT for dealers and resellers in Africa. Mitsumi distributes a wide range of products covering computers, data centre, storage, security, networking, software and hardware. Expansive Operations Mitsumi Distribution operates in over 19 countries in Africa. The market covered by Mitsumi includes East, West, North…
National Bank of Kenya
Banking made easy After a recent rebranding, National Bank of Kenya are expanding their reach with the help of skilled staff and by embracing new technologies Writer Emily Jarvis Project Manager Sheridan Halls In recent years, the National Bank of Kenya (NBK) have undergone one of the biggest transformations of an African financial institution. From its inception in June of 1968, NBK used to be entirely government-owned bank, with the sole objective of creating credit access for Kenyans. At this time – immediately after independence – most of the banks were multinationals and so the government wanted to ensure that they had their own hand in the finance business. After this period in time, there was a realisation that the bank would need to extend its reach in order to continue doing business to meet the changing needs of the public. Therefore, NBK made a decision to list its shares on the Nairobi stock exchange. This is when NSSF took a 48.5 percent stake in the bank, with the government through National Treasury retaining 22.5 percent and 29 percent going to the public. "This shift in ownership meant that NBK was no longer considered a government bank. Of course, we owe our founding days to the government, but right now, we are moving forward with new found vigour," explains Chris Kisire, Chief Financial Officer of National Bank of Kenya. Rebranding In May 2013, NBK rebranded and transformed in an effort to stand out from the crowd and Kisire is pleased with the outcome: "The reason for…
Airtel Rwanda : Always Available, Always Affordable
Airtel Rwanda has doubled their customer base as a result of their selling points: affordability, innovativeness and high quality internet.
MSA Africa
Tailored safety innovations MSA Africa spend countless hours developing, testing and evaluating their products rigorously, to ensure they meet a very high standard Writer Emily Jarvis Project Manager Tom Cullum MSA are an organisation fully committed to protecting the health and safety of their customers. The company spend countless hours developing, testing and evaluating their products rigorously, to ensure they meet a very high standard. Founded in 1914, MSA has grown from humble beginnings to become an internationally recognised brand, with more than 5,300 employees across the world, protecting workers in more than 140 countries through their expansive product range of over 15,000 products. "We've never forgotten who we are, or who we work for: our customers. Their satisfaction and safety are our top goals every day," says Colin Oliver, Managing Director of MSA Africa. The company took root in Africa in 1940, making these operations the impressive age of 74 this year. "We have stood the test of time and retained our market position where others may have struggled. This year we are looking at 600 million rand revenue," cites Oliver. The MSA Africa footprint covers the majority of the African continent through either branches or partners, strategically placed across the continent for the ease of access to their services and products. Zooming in on the African operations, MSA have a reputation as the premier technology safety equipment provider in Sub-Saharan Africa. The company sell over 5000 products to the African market, 20 percent of which are manufactured in South Africa. This includes gas detection…
Airtel Zambia : Interview with Charity Chanda Lumpa
Africa Outlook spoke to the first female and Zambian Managing Director for Airtel Zambia, Charity Chanda Lumpa.
City Property
Cosmopolitan property management City Property are a caring and trusting business who maintain a high standard of quality and business practices, which are delivered by their staff Project Manager Arron Rampling City Property Administration (Pty) Ltd is a residential and commercial property management company that has been operating since 1968, headquartered in Pretoria with a supporting office in Johannesburg. The managed portfolio consists of nearly 700 buildings, including over 10,000 flats, with a combined lettable area of commercial space in excess of 1.4 million square meters. City Property strives to employ industry best practice in its systems, management and staff recruitment. This ensures the efficient administration of over 14,000 tenants. Their property portfolio is diverse in nature ranging from traditional shopping malls, convenience shopping centres, industrial workshops, warehouses, offices, retail shops and residential flats. Their major clients include two listed property investment companies: Premium Properties Limited and Octodec Investments Limited, as well as a large number of private clients. Diverse and Sophisticated Management City Property transforms buildings and injects fresh vitality into Africa's inner cities. The company provide sophisticated, modern and cosmopolitan retail spaces, offices, warehouses and apartments that ensure that those who live and work in the CBD (Central Business District) enjoy the best South Africa's cities have to offer. City Property has a wealth of experience in both property management services and the asset management of property holding companies. As the company strive for excellence in all they do, they have a duty to remain forthright in their values and have created a positioning…
ITB Nigeria
The growing face of Nigerian development I.T.B are a company that have withstood economic challenges and come out of it stronger and with a greater self belief Writer Matt Bone Project Manager Ben Wigger I.T.B. Nigeria limited, part of the construction division of the Chagoury group, was formed in 1995 in Lagos. a growing demand for specialist, civil engineering services, enabled I.T.B. to focus its energies on developing an African market for its expertise. The company is proud to proclaim it is one of the only civil engineering and construction firms whose head office and main operations are based solely in Africa. I.T.B. hopes to increase home grown interest in civil engineering, promoting African expertise at home and abroad and eventually taking African engineers into the global export market. With over 2500 employees, I.T.B. has become the growing face of Nigerian development. Fadi Sawaya, I.T.B's Managing Director, believes the company's main strength is in its ability to work on a project from scratch: "the company has always been able to undertake any construction project from conception to completion. we are very much design and build-orientated, this gives us a competitive edge as we can create plans based on project requirements and can implement cutting-edge ideas into our projects." Turning the Corner Over the last two years, Nigeria has seen a slowdown in the number of construction projects being undertaken, due to the lack of serious investment from both domestic and foreign companies. The economic climate has further compounded the problem, but Sawaya thinks that the worst…
CemAir
Standing out from the cloud Cemair has been placed in a strong position to cement their standing as one of Africa's top aviation leasing specialists Writer Matt Bone Project Manager Stuart Shirra Based in South Africa, CemAir are a specialist aircraft leasing company who operate a large fleet of Beech 1900 airliners 3 Bombardier CRJ's. The company offers the leasing of turboprop and regional jets on flexible short, medium or long-term contracts to a variety of clients including oil and gas companies, humanitarian charities and businesses. The service provided can be tailored to a customer's requirements, which can include a full maintenance team, operational support and pilots. Miles van der Molen, CEO of Cemair, is very pleased with how far the company has come since its inception in 2005 and is keen to highlight the vast experience they have amassed since that time: "we have gained considerable experience in operating and supporting our aircraft in a variety of conditions since we began the company in 2005. we place a strong emphasis on maintaining fi rst world standards in third world environments, striving to achieve high levels of reliability and international operating standards." the company has operating and leasing experience throughout Africa and the Middle East, including Afghanistan, Nigeria, Tunisia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan, South Sudan, Ghana, Mozambique and South Africa. The Fleet CemAir grew from a partnership which began in 2002 with the acquisition of a Cessna Grand Caravan. The partnership developed further with the purchase of several piston powered aircrafts and following the procurement…
Atlas Copco Zambia
Global innovators The Atlas Copco brand promises sustainable productivity, off erring products, services and solutions which are more productive, lower cost and safer for the customer Writer Emily Jarvis Project Manager Eddie Clinton Swedish giant Atlas Copco established themselves in Zambia in 1949 and have consequently been supporting the Zambian mining industry for over 60 years, with a staff size of 143 locally. As a world leading provider of sustainable productivity solutions, the company has evolved alongside the latest technological advances, delivering unparalleled levels of efficiency to the resources sector. the company's products range from compressed air and gas equipment to construction and mining equipment and industrial tool and assembly systems. Boasting a diverse product and services range, Atlas Copco Zambia provide end-to-end solutions for their customers and suppliers in Zambia and the DRC, including full aftermarket support to a number of mines and contractors. "As a triple certified organisation in Africa, we live and breathe our core values and our brand is what makes Atlas Copco such a prominent name in the mining industry," explains Daniel Banister, General Manager of Atlas Copco Zambia. With businesses in more than 170 countries and a diverse group of employees, Atlas Copco are a truly global company, who continue on their way to success, securing the best mining solutions for their customers. Atlas Copco aim to provide complete end-to-end solutions to buyers and customers via their three core values of interaction, commitment and innovation. "These values form our past, created our present and will guide our future. Combine this…
Joy Global South Africa
Solving mining's toughest challenges Joy Global have become one of the biggest suppliers of products and related services to the mining industry in Sub-Saharan Africa Writer Matt Bone Project Manager Tom Cullum Joy Global Inc. is a worldwide leader in high-productivity mining solutions. With over 130 years' experience in the manufacture, sales and service of original equipment and related parts for the surface and underground mining industries, Joy Global have become one of the biggest suppliers of products and related services to the mining industry in Sub-Saharan Africa. The first Joy Global sales office in Africa was opened in 1929 in Johannesburg and has steadily grown to now boast a staff compliment of over 1500. The company's products are used extensively for the mining of coal, copper, iron ore, oil sands, gold and other mineral resources. Matimba Mahange, Sales & Marketing Director for Underground Mining at Joy Global Africa, explains just why Joy Global has been so successful: "We pride ourselves on providing a full range of value-added aftermarket services for the mining industry. Our focus is on mining and mining only. We are committed to assisting our customers' needs and requests at every turn. To achieve this, we use a Life Cycle Management approach, which places the highest value on continuous and exceptional customer support." Advancing the Industry Joy Global Africa have invested over R80 million in a new distribution and service centre at their Wadeville Plant in South Africa. This new plant will enable them to better service their customers from a central localised…
Lafarge Cement WAPCO Nigeria Plc
Cementing Nigeria's future Lafarge has embraced the housing and infrastructure challenges in the Nigerian construction sector, in order to support the country's socio-economic development Writer Matt Bone Project Manager Tom Cullum Lafarge Cement WAPCO Nigeria Plc is one of the foremost cement manufacturing and marketing companies in Nigeria. Since its establishment in 1959, the company has grown sustainably and made a tremendous contribution to the availability of cement in the country. As a result of its take-over in February 2008, Lafarge SA became the majority shareholder in WAPCO, culminating in the change of name from West African Portland Cement Plc to Lafarge Cement WAPCO Nigeria Plc. A subsidiary of Lafarge SA, the world's largest cement manufacturer and leader in building materials with a presence in 64 countries, Lafarge WAPCO has been and will continue to be the driving force for quality in Nigeria's construction industry and positions innovation at the heart of its priorities, working towards sustainable construction and architectural creativity in every project. The company has three plants in Nigeria - one in Sagamu and two in Ewekoro - with a current production capacity of 4.5 million metric tonnes. With an objective of increasing the overall availability of cement to Nigerians, as well as assisting in achieving the Federal Government's drive for affordable housing, Lafarge WAPCO has made immense investments in supporting Nigeria's socio-economic development. Building Better Cities Lafarge Cement WAPCO Nigeria Plc is in the business of 'Building Better Cities', a vision that is expressed through the innovative solutions and services their operations offer.…
Manguang Metropolitan Municipality
At the heart of it all Mangaung Metro Municipality is a category A municipality with a vibrant and strong economy, driven by the government sector Writer Matt Bone Project Manager Stuart Shirra Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality is a Category A municipality covering an area of 6284km². It is situated in the Free State province, in the central of South Africa. The Free State is bordered by the Gauteng, Eastern Cape, Northern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and North West provinces, as well as by the neighbouring country of Lesotho. Mangaung, meaning "Place of the Cheetahs", highlights the vibrant, dynamic and energetic character of the tourism industry in the "City on the move". The economy is strongly driven by the government sector, which has seen the significant growth in the last five years as a result of increased government programmes in local neighbourhood and residential improvement projects, such as new housing and facilities management. The finance sector is the second-fastest growing sector due to big drives in real estate and construction developments, which have also helped the local companies looking to increase their footprint in the municipality. Small businesses have a major role to play in the South African economy, and especially those in the Mangaung area, in terms of employment creation, income generation and financial stability. There are approximately 12 million people in South Africa that are actively involved in the Small, Medium and Micro Enterprise (SMME) sector, which accounts for approximately 60 percent of all employment. In an area such as Mangaung, with its fairly high levels of unemployment…
uThungulu District Municipality
Strengthening Uthungulu's Infrastructure uThungulu strives to be an economically viable district, with effective infrastructure that supports job creation through economic growth, rural development and promotion of their rich heritage Writer Emily Jarvis Project Manager Stuart Shirra The magnificent uThungulu District is located in the north-eastern region of the KwaZulu-Natal province on the eastern seaboard of South Africa. The District has the third highest population in the province and stretches from the agricultural town of Gingindlovu in the south, to the uMfolozi River in the north and inland to the mountainous beauty of rural Nkandla. uThungulu strives to be an economically viable district, with effective infrastructure that supports job creation through economic growth, rural development and promotion of their rich heritage. For the seventh time, the District were awarded Best IDP (Integrated Development Plan) in the province, remaining in the top 10 IDP's for over ten years. In order to create a prospering district, the Municipality have a series of strong missions: ● Rural development, agrarian reform and food security; ● Creating economic growth and decent job opportunities; ● Fighting crime and corruption; ● Promoting quality education for all; ● Improving quality of health; ● Community participation, nation building and good governance. Gateway to the World uThungulu's gateway to the world markets is the Port of Richards Bay, which is the largest deep-water port on the African continent. The harbour facilities at Richards Bay are world-class and there is tremendous potential for further expansion of this Industrial Development Zone. "This has resulted in Richards Bay becoming the…
Trustco
Finance you can trust When it comes to financial services, Trustco is a company that tries to re-create and redevelop products, breaking new ground in the process and enticing new customers to their businesses Writer Emily Jarvis Project Manager Sheridan Halls Ryan McDougall, Acting CEO of Trustco, likes to think of his company as a "good old fashioned conglomerate", boasting a variety of different business lines including property development, insurance, student lending, air charter, print media and education. With 57 branches across South Africa and Namibia, Trustco are geared up for future expansion and extension of their services into pastures new. Trustco, a JSE listed group, has a market cap of USD130million, revenues of USD80 million per annum and generated earnings in excess of USD23million in its 2014 financial year. Trustco likes to be different, striving to change people's perceptions and connotations of a conglomerate by providing a set of unique and innovative products to somewhat niche markets. "We have tried to solve age old problems with the distribution of affordable products through a blend of new ideas and technology into what we see as stale industries; creating a little bit of lateral thinking," explains McDougall. "Having such diverse products means there was a need to develop excellent IT platforms, which have helped us merge products such as insurance, education and microlending over the past few years." In Namibia, Trustco are making waves into the social development of insurance and education, in order to try and find an inclusive financial sector which affords the ability for…
Hyprop Investments
South Africa's Mall Specialist Hyprop Investments limited is one of the top real estate investment trusts in South Africa Writer Matt Bone Project Manager Stuart Shirra Hyprop is South Africa's largest specialist shopping centre real estate investment trust, currently listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange. It is the third largest real estate investment trust in the country and one of South Africa's oldest listed property companies. The company currently has R25 billion of assets under management, which includes 12 prime shopping centres in South Africa. Hyprop have exposure to malls in the rest of Africa through Atterbury Africa, a joint venture with Attacq Limited. Atterbury Africa has a 47 percent interest in Accra mall in Accra, Ghana and effective from the 1st July this year, 50 percent in Manda Hill Shopping Centre in Lusaka, Zambia. at 43 400m2, Manda Hill is the first regional shopping centre in Zambia and the largest in sub- Saharan Africa outside of South Africa. Development and Innovation Over the last two years, the company has undertaken an extensive redevelopment of Rosebank mall in Rosebank, Johannesburg, which is on track for completion in October 2014. Hyprop is expanding the mall from 36,000m2 to 62,000m2 and the number of stores will rise from 93 to 147. the approximately R930 million development is set to considerably boost economic growth in the Rosebank node and provide shoppers and tenants with a refreshed, world-class shopping facility. CEO Pieter Prinsloo says: "this is one of our largest developments to date and aligns with our strategy of enhancing…