- Mary-Ann Musangi, daughter of the late Chris Kirubi, revealed bold plans to grow HACO Industries' footprint across Africa by 2030
- HACO Industries currently exports to eight African markets but Musangi wants to triple that number within the next few years
- The Kenyan manufacturer is eyeing five regional manufacturing hubs, with Ghana already identified as a key production centre for West Africa
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Mary-Ann Musangi, the daughter of the late Kenyan business titan Chris Kirubi, is pushing HACO Industries into an era of continent-wide growth, with plans that could reshape how the company reaches African households over the next five years.
Source: UGC
Musangi, who heads the family-owned manufacturing group, wants to see HACO's products reach 30 African countries by 2030.
That is a significant leap from the eight markets the company currently serves, which include Uganda, Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Zambia, alongside its home base of Kenya.
Speaking to CNN, Musangi said Central to the expansion is a plan to set up five regional manufacturing hubs across Africa.
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Rather than shipping finished goods across long distances, HACO wants production facilities closer to consumers in different parts of the continent.
Ghana has already been earmarked as the anchor for West African operations, where the company is partnering with local manufacturer Ayewa Labs to develop products using raw materials sourced from within Africa.
Musangi sees local partnerships as the most practical way to navigate the patchwork of trade regulations, tax systems, currencies and languages that can complicate cross-border business in Africa.
On the production side, the company is investing in new automated equipment that could push output from roughly 3,000 packaging items per hour to as many as 12,000 items hourly.
HACO, which was established more than five decades ago and currently produces around 90 household, haircare and skincare products serving over three million households, is also working to reduce its reliance on imported raw materials.
The company already works with more than 500 farmers across the continent and has shifted to sourcing ingredients such as shea butter from Uganda and Ghana rather than importing them from the United States, a move that has reportedly cut costs considerably.
Musangi's broader argument is that Africa loses significant economic value by exporting raw materials and buying back processed goods at a premium. In her view, building up local manufacturing capacity would create jobs, support smallholder farmers and allow African economies to keep more of the wealth generated by their own natural resources.
With HACO's planned growth, Musangi hopes to offer a blueprint for how African-owned businesses can scale up and compete on the global stage while strengthening trade ties within the continent.
Source: TUKO.co.ke