September 25, 2013

Kenya's Brookside Dairy to build milk plant in Nigeria

Brookside Dairy, East Africa's largest milk company, will establish a milk plant in Nigeria, as part of its African expansion plan.

Entering into the Nigerian market will help Brookside, which recently acquired a 20% stake in Ethiopia's Elemtu Milk Integrated Industry (Elemtu Diary) in July, to further expand its reach beyond Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda where it already has operations.

Brookside's proposed investment in Africa's second largest economy marks a significant trend as more local businesses in East Africa branch out to other parts of the African region.

"We are happy that the firm chairman Muhoho Kenyatta visited our country to access the possibility of investment in the diary sector. We are certain he will establish a dairy plant in Nigeria and we believe it will play a key role in boosting our dairy industry," Nigeria Chamber of Commerce National chairman, Mohammad Abubakar said at a recent visit by Nigeria business community to Nairobi, Kenya.

Brookside Dairy will be instrumental in improving the quality and diversity of dairy products in Nigeria - a country that is being recently explored by local and international firms in their aggressive expansion plan, Abubakar said.

Brookside's establishment of a milk plant will further increase intra-Africa trade and trade relations between Nigeria and Kenya.

Earlier this month, Nigeria and Kenya signed a multi-billion dollar deal that will provide job and double trade between both countries in the next two years.