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
Pipeline politics: East Africa's joint refinery dream faces slippery path
The consensus has always been that for their oil resources to make commercial sense, East African countries would need to pool and exploit the resource together.
Creative economy key to job creation, says PS Fikirini Jacobs
The creative industry is well placed to spur employment for the youth and boost the country's economy, the government has said.
Beyond the Silicon Savannah: Why Africa's AI revolution must start 'mashinani'
Policy and investment levers such as establishing rural tech hubs, providing targeted public funding for digital skills outside major cities, trigger a ripple effect that transforms communities.
Airtel takes on Safaricom with Sh5.6b data centre
The facility under construction in Tatu City, expected to be the largest data centre in East Africa.
Lokichar-Lamu crude pipeline plan still on, says Treasury
This is amid revelations that the Turkana oil project operator is exploring alternatives, including road and rail, to get the commodity to Mombasa. 
.
RECOMMENDED NEWS