Minister Anite launches tiles factories in Njeru, Namanve

INVESTMENT|MINISTER|FACTORIES

MUKONO - Investment state minister Evelyn Anite has launched three factories in Njeru and Namanve with a call to investors to take advantage of the current peace and stability to invest in Uganda.

Two of the factories are owned by Dubai-based businessman Ashish Monpara and make tiles and sanitisers, while the other is a tile and glass factory owned by Jitu Parmar.

Monpara's factories are located in Njeru town council, while Parmar's is in Namanve Industrial park.

Anite told journalists that the factories will not only help sort out the country's unemployment problem but also make construction materials more affordable for many Ugandans.

She said the Government's target is to bring down the costs of building materials by attracting more investors into the sector.

This, she said, will also solve the country's chronic housing deficit that stands at 2.4 million housing units, of which 210,000 units are in urban areas and 1.395 million in rural areas.

Citing the example of cement, Anite said there are now eight different manufacturers of the product, which has made cement cheaper.

"We had a problem with cement. However, that is not a problem anymore because we have since added eight more cement factories. On average, a bag now goes for sh31,000, which is very affordable," she said.

Both companies will have a combined capacity of more than 60,000 square metres of tiles per day. Morrison Rwakakamba, a board member of Uganda Investment Authority, said the launch of the factories was a testament to Uganda's attractiveness as an investment destination.

"Uganda is making progress and I thank you for being core partners in Uganda's development," Rwakakamba told the investors. He also thanked President Yoweri Museveni for championing industrialisation.

The factories

Parmar told New Vision that his company employs 200 workers and has a production capacity of 16,000 square metres of tiles a day.

The company also makes other products, including tempered glass for office and home use. Besides ordinary 21mm glass, it also produces 70mm tempered glass which can be used as bulletproof screening.

Monpara, who is also the proprietor of Modern Distillers Ltd, plans to export sanitisers to Dubai and with his Modern Tile Ltd, which is under construction on a 50-acre piece of land, he expects to employ 18,000 people in one year's time.

It will be able to produce about 45,000 square metres of tiles.

The mayor of Njeru, Yasin Kyazze, said the factories will create employment for the youth and contribute to the revenue of the local authority.

Parmar, however, called on the Government to address the problem of electricity in order to reduce the cost of producing the products and make them more affordable for Ugandan. He said electricity is expensive and erratic.