Swiss multinational Sika is starting operations at a new mortar plant at its existing site in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, claiming that Ethiopia is the fastest-growing construction market south of the Sahara.
It built a concrete admixtures plant there in 2016 and now wants to sell locally manufactured technical mortars and tile adhesives.
Ivo Schädler, EMEA regional manager, said: "With the new plant in Ethiopia we are pursuing the implementation of our Africa strategy."
He added: "With our strong local presence we can adapt products to meet the specific customer requirements, and make products available with shorter delivery times. We are thus creating the ideal conditions for participating in the country’s dynamic construction market."
Sika said the government-sponsored infrastructure drive has seen Ethiopia’s construction sector grow 12% in 2019, with annual growth to 2028 estimated at between 8-9%.
With a presence in 101 countries, and around 300 factories, Sika employs more than 24,000 people and forecasts sales of more than $8bn for fiscal 2019.
Photograph: A construction site in Addis Ababa (Alextara/Dreamstime)
