Today, at the Rwanda Development Board, Africeramics Ltd signed an agreement with Nyanza district for the establishment of Rwanda’s first ceramic tiles manufacturing plant. Nyanza District owns a minority stake in the investment in exchange for the land availed by the district to Africeramics Ltd.

Planned to be operational in less than two years, the high-tech multi-million euro factory will directly employ over 100 people in the district and indirectly employ over 300. In the first phase of production, 9,000 square meters of tiles will be produced daily and this will be doubled in the second phase targeting both the domestic and regional market. Subsequent phases will focus on other ceramic products on demand.

Speaking at the signing, Francesco De Martino, Group CEO, Milbridge Holdings the parent company of Africeramics Ltd, said;

“I want to give a special thanks to RDB, the Ministry of Trade and Industry and Nyanza District for the support they have given us in order to achieve this important milestone. We were extremely impressed by the quick, proactive partnership that we received from all government institutions. We chose Nyanza as the base of our plant because it is strategically located where we can source high quality inputs such as clay, granite and other alloys needed for ceramics.”

The Mayor of Nyanza District, Erasme Ntazinda, noted;

“As a district we are excited to attract this mega investment and have high expectations for this project. This accelerated process showed that all the parties were interested in ensuring the successful commencement of the project. I thank Africeramics Ltd for investing in our district a boost to our local economy. We commit our support to this project”.

In his remarks, Deputy Chief Executive Officer and Chief Operating Officer – Rwanda Development Board, Emmanuel Hategeka, said;

“This investment fully aligns with our domestic market recapturing strategy and will go along way to reduce our import bill on construction materials, generate exports while at the same time generating jobs! Being located in Nyanza district presents an added advantage of distributed development uplifting the rural economy. Today, all ceramic tiles in the country are imported yet studies show that we have some of the best quality clay for ceramics in the world. We applaud Africeramics Ltd for spotting the opportunity in the district”, he added.