Juniper Glass, a subsidiary of American owned Roha Ventures, has received all necessary regulatory approvals for the $70 million factory in Debre Birhan, 130 kilometers from the Ethiopian capital.
Juniper has partnered with leading glass packaging maker South Africa’s Consol and the Development Bank of Ethiopia to set up the plant. The firm targets to manufacture about 200 million glass bottles per year.
“We have been evaluating opportunities in Ethiopia for a number of years and are excited about our partnership with Juniper,” said Mike Arnold, Consol’s CEO.
Consol manufactures a wide range of glass packaging material including wine and beer bottles, and mayonnaise jars with facilities in South Africa, Nigeria and Kenya.
Brooks Washington, Juniper’s chief executive said: “Our partnership with Consol, together with the support from the Development Bank of Ethiopia, will help us to realize our mission and meet the growing demand for high-quality glass bottles. Perhaps more significantly, it will contribute to Ethiopia’s economic development by innovating, building human capacity and leveraging technology.”
The Development Bank of Ethiopia had earlier announced that it had approved a loan of 565 million birr ($25 million) for the project, which was developed by Roha.
After receiving the Ethiopia’s Trade Competition and Consumer Protection Agency approval, Juniper said the project is fully-funded and will start operating as soon as the factory is completed.
The new plant, which is under construction, is expected to be operational within 18 months with a capacity to produce 60,000 tons of glass annually – about 200 million glass bottles.
It is projected that Juniper’s local manufacturing will substitute imports with the surplus being exported to neighboring countries.
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