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This comes at the time construction activities are slow due to sluggish economic growth
Kampala, Uganda | JULIUS BUSINGE | The construction sector seems to be picking up as coronavirus slows down, with the sector-players now rolling out new products to the market.
Uganda Baati Limited, the maker of building construction materials in Uganda, has launched SAFBUILD, a new building solution to the market.
SAFBUILD is a pre-engineered steel building solution made from high-tensile, cold-formed, and galvanised-steel structures that are easily assembled on site within a space of 12 weeks.
The structures are optimised using high-tensile galvanized steel to ensure durability and maximum strength.
The technology is well suited for the construction of warehouses, factory sheds, parking sheds, market sheds, horticultural and agri-processing buildings, institutional buildings, workshops, worship centers and many other structures that are of that kind.
“As Uganda’s trusted building partner, we pledge to continuously bring forth quality products that address our customer’s building needs,” George Arodi, the business head at Uganda Baati said on Feb.11 during the product launch in Kampala.
He said the product is designed to reduce property development delivery time and expenses incurred by contractors and customers.
Arodi said their customers will have pre-engineered buildings delivered within 12 weeks of purchase.
The new product targets government, private sector, individuals, civil society and any other interested party.
He added that the launch of SAFBUILD is in line with the company’s effort to address the current construction needs and help customers meet tight property development timelines as they seek more space for investment and expansion.
“The construction process is standardised and time tested,” he said, “it comes with negligent maintenance costs.”
This new product comes after three years of its successful implementation in Kenya, where several projects quoted in millions of dollars have been accomplished for government and the private sector.
In Uganda, its launch was delayed by COVID-19 lockdown measures.
Arodi said, they are optimistic that the uptake of the product will be high given that the economy is slowly returning to its normal growth curve from the coronavirus crisis, as several sectors start to post positive performance.
The price is determined by the size of the structure.
Chris Baryomunsi, the minister of state for housing said, construction projects of this nature are a crucial service that all Ugandans need.
He said, Uganda, being one of the countries with the fastest growing population, such projects will going forward, help meet the growing demand in the market as the economy expands.
He welcomed the new product and promised company executives maximum support from government of any nature.
“You can still use different technologies to get descent construction structures,” he said, “we need to change the mind set to move away from only using sand, bricks.”
He also urged the company to embrace partnerships for offering this product, and to train as many Ugandans as possible to support the delivery of this product to all parts of Uganda in line with customers’ expectations.
“I applaud Uganda Baati Limited for this bold step in continuing to defend its over 50-year market leadership as it boosts the construction industry through innovations that are designed to grow not only the steel and roofing industry, but the construction sector at large,” Baryomunsi said.
The launch of the new product comes at a time construction activities are somewhat slow due to slow growth of the economy.
According to the September 2020 construction sector indices from Uganda Bureau of Statistics, the average input prices for the whole sector (covering material prices, wage rates and equipment hire rates) decreased by 2.35% for the year ending Sept.2020 compared to 2.49% reduction for the year ended August 2020.
The main contributors were; a decrease of 0.82% prices of inputs for residential buildings; a decrease of 7.28% in prices of inputs for civil works driven by a 6.50% and 9.91% fall in input prices for roads paved and gravel respectively.
Uganda Baati, founded in 1964, is a member of the Safal Group of companies, Safal Group being the largest steel and roofing company in Africa with footprints in many countries including Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Ethiopia and South Africa. It was the first company to introduce the ZincAl coating technology for all its roofing sheets in the market.
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