Tanzania's Amsons Group launches Sh23.1b bid to acquire Bamburi cement

Business
By Brian Ngugi | Jul 11, 2024
Bamburi Cement trucks collect cement from a Silo storage facility in Industrial Area, Nairobi. [Stafford Ondego, Standard]

Tanzania's leading manufacturing and energy giant, Amsons Group, has issued a binding offer to acquire up to a 100 per cent stake in Kenya's Bamburi Cement PLC for a total sum of Sh23.1 billion.

Amsons, through its Kenyan subsidiary Amsons Industries (K) Ltd, has issued a notice of intention to launch a public takeover offer to acquire up to 100 per cent of Bamburi's shares at 65 Kenyan shillings per share.

"We have great plans to deepen our investment in Kenya and in Bamburi," said Amsons Group Managing Director Edha Nahdi in a statement issued on Wednesday evening.

"The proposed cross-border acquisition will further strengthen our position in the East African cement sector as part of our regional economic development and market integration strategy."

Amsons, a family-owned business founded in 2006, has diversified from its roots in bulk oil and petroleum products to become a manufacturing and energy conglomerate with over $1 billion in annual revenue. Its cement operations include a 6,000 metric tonnes/day facility and the recently acquired Mbeya Cement in Tanzania.

The acquisition of Bamburi would mark Amsons' formal entry into the Kenyan market, where the group plans to make further investments in the coming months, according to Nahdi.

Holcim, which currently owns a 65 per cent stake in Bamburi, said the deal "advances Holcim's strategy of extending our leadership in our core markets as the global leader in innovative and sustainable building solutions."

"With Amsons Group, we are pleased to have found a strategic and trusted partner best positioned to develop Bamburi Cement PLC's business in the long term," said Holcim's Regional Head of Asia, Middle East and Africa, Martin Kriegner in the statement.

The proposed $180 million acquisition would mark a significant milestone for Amsons as it seeks to invest in one of Kenya's iconic blue-chip companies listed on the Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE).

Share this story
Kenya to host global military AI Summit, a first for Africa
Kenya has secured the rights to host the fourth Responsible AI in the Military Domain (REAIM) Summit, the first African country to host the meeting.
Falling crude oil prices raise hope of relief at the pump
News of a deal to end the Iran-US war earlier this week has seen prices fall to below $100 per barrel for the first time in months.
Kenya's first dollar-denominated green property fund oversubscribed as investors seek hard-currency returns
TRIFIC CEO Brenda Mbathi described the oversubscription as a strong endorsement of the quality of the underlying assets and the resilience of our business structure.
Why US has beaten China to clinch Kenya's Sh9.7tr minerals deal
America has struck a preliminary minerals deal with Kenya, securing a foothold in one of the world’s largest untapped rare earth deposits worth about Sh9.7 trillion. The deal edges out China.
From financing to procurement: Who is fooling whom in JKIA expansion deal?
The government has denied contracting controversial businessman Wicknell Chivayo’s firm IMC Construction Kenya the contract to modernise and expand the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport. 
.
RECOMMENDED NEWS