Chinese Investors Launch East Africa’s Largest Diaper Factory In Kenya

Chinese Investors are not new in Kenya or East Africa, they have ventured into many businesses, mainly in the manufacturing sector.

In a new move, Chinese investors have now launched East Africa’s largest diaper factory in Kenya as it seeks to heed to the high demand of the diapers which stands at around 800 million pieces per annum.

Huang Shiwei, Sunda Kenya Industrial Company said that the 4 billion shillings factory which is based in Mavoko will provide job opportunities to more than 300 locals.

The firm will train and enhance the ability of Kenyan personnel to run the production lines themselves with minimum supervision after a period of between three to five years.

“The factory we are launching has an annual production capacity of between 350 million to 450 million pieces,”  he added.

The factory has been operating the Softcare brand for ten years but it relied on imports from its China-based factories.

“With our involvement in the market for almost ten years, the price of diapers has dropped by 20 to 30 percent,” he added.

Shiwei said that the factory has the most advanced equipment in order to produce high-quality products as it tackles its rivals in the country.

Guracha Adi, general manager of Kenya Investment Authority, commended Chinese investors for playing a big role in the manufacturing sector, which is a key sector for the government.

The diaper factory is expected to be a big boost to President Uhuru Kenyatta’s big four agenda by increasing the contribution of the manufacturing sector from the current 8.3 percent to 15 percent of the GDP by the end of 2022.

Featured Image Courtesy: nonwoven industry.com