After emerging second out of a field of 70 manufacturing companies, Hima Cement Limited, a subsidiary of Bamburi Cement and member of the Lafarge Group scooped a diamond award in the category of Small and Medium Enterprises businesses for bringing foreign exchange into the economy.
The annual Presidential Exports Awards, organized by the Uganda Export Promotion Board recognized several local exporters at a dinner held at the Imperial Royale Hotel- Kampala, where Hima Cement was awarded for its cement exports which netted up to $52M. The diamond award is given to the company that earned the highest foreign exchange revenue.
"We are honored to receive this award from the exports board; a sign of recognition and gratitude to the great service that we offer the nation in terms of foreign exchange inflow", Dennis Kashero, Commercial Manager Hima Cement said.
“Hima Cement has been in this industry too long and today, we are proud to say that we are very conversant with what our customers want, and this is what we give them. The cement industry is very sensitive and this is why we take serious precautions in weights and measurements, quality, safety, as well as health.”
Kashero added that through the company’s commitment to produce surplus capacity that not only satisfies the local demand, but also allows for export to other markets, Hima cement has continued to penetrate various markets including Rwanda, Burundi, DRC and South Sudan.
“We have various brands of cement to suit various environments, and for various purposes, and this gives us a unique point within this sector to supply even across boarders. As a principle, all our brands have equal strength and it is up to the consumers to choose what suits their desired projects
The Presidential Exports Awards are meant to recognize manufacturers that have earned the country a greater deal of foreign exchange through exporting some of their locally manufactured products to neighboring countries and across. UEPB has set for itself the task of encouraging regional trade as a way of boosting economic growth in a bid to meet the desired economic MDGs.
The UEPB pre qualified 194 companies for this year’s awards. These companies had to have been in the export business for a minimum of two years with an annual export value of at least USD 500,000. In addition, the companies had to comply with certain specified internal standards.
Uganda’s top four export markets include Southern Sudan ($184m), Kenya ($172m), Rwanda ($135m) and the D.R. Congo ($134m).
