REGIONAL UPDATES
East Africa’s leading paint manufacturer Crown Paints has
opened an ultra-modern paint showroom in Kigali. Rwanda
is the third country to host Crown Paints’ showrooms in East
Africa.
According to Crown Paints Group Chief Executive Officer
(CEO) Rakesh Rao, the company aims to transform the lives of
Rwandese by creating more job opportunities and contributing
to the country’s economic growth as it also aims to establish a
paint factory in Rwanda.
“We aim to recruit more customers and equip them with
knowledge on our paints portfolio. There is a boom in the
construction sector in Rwanda and consumer tastes are
changing fast, with more people using texture and stone
finishes,” said Mr. Rao.
The opening of the showroom in Rwanda comes after Crown
Paints opened a depot in Kigali six months ago.
According to Mr. Rao the firm has full confidence in the Rwanda
market and believes it’s the next frontier for its growth in the
coming years. “With the rise in construction, the Rwanda
market has posed a great opportunity for Crown Paints and
we have gained a great level of stability in a short period.
The market offers a lot of opportunity for quality paints,” he
explained.
In October 2014, Crown Paints Group entered into the
Tanzanian paint industry after investing USD $3.6million.
Crown Paints, which has major operations in Nairobi, Kigali,
Kampala, Arusha, Mwanza and Juba, made Dar-Es-Salaam
its headquarters.
Rakesh Rao, CEO of Crown Paints Group, said: “This is our
second step into the Tanzanian paint industry. We want to
build a strong long-term partnership with the people and
government of the Republic of Tanzania. We want to make
it the leading paint company in Tanzania; the hub for our
Tanzania operations.
Last year, the Tanzanian construction sector accounted for
11.9% of all the wealth that was generated in the country. It
is expected to continue its strong growth path in the near
future.
Speaking at the launch, Crown Paints Group Vice Chairman,
Hussein Ramji revealed that the firm is set to expand into other
markets. Mr. Ramji explained that export market was a key
contributor to the group sales volume. “Our export markets
sales volume increasedby 50pc in2013. These exportmarkets
included Southern Sudan, Rwanda, Burundi and Tanzania.
With a robust marketing and distribution in place, this year,
we hope to maintain growth in these countries,” he said.
Dr. Abdallah O Kigoda, Tanzanian Minister for Industry
& Trade said, “We are excited to welcome Crown Paints
Tanzania. Crown Paints Group is a highly rated company in
EA, and the announcement made here today, will create job
opportunities for our youthful population and offer training
for painters across the country.”
PG
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