President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has officially commissioned Roofings Group’s US$125 million Phase IV Level 2 Ultra-Modern Cold Rolling Mill Complex at the Kampala Industrial and Business Park in Namanve, marking one of the most significant private-sector investments in Uganda’s steel manufacturing industry.
The new facility adds 150,000 metric tonnes of annual cold-rolled steel production capacity, doubling Roofings Group’s cold-rolled capacity to 300,000 metric tonnes per annum and significantly expanding Uganda’s ability to manufacture higher-value steel products locally.
The investment forms part of Roofings Group’s continued expansion in Uganda, where its cumulative investment now exceeds US$500 million and its overall installed production capacity has grown to 625,000 metric tonnes per annum across its different production lines.
The commissioning ceremony was attended by senior government officials, members of the diplomatic community, business leaders, development and financing partners, customers, employees and other stakeholders.
President Museveni Hails Roofings’ Contribution to Uganda’s Industrialisation
Speaking at the commissioning, President Museveni congratulated Dr. Sikander Lalani, Chairman and Managing Director of Roofings Group, and the company for its continued investment in Uganda, describing Roofings’ growth as an example of the local value addition required to transform Uganda’s economy.
The President noted that Roofings had progressively moved from importing intermediate steel products and processing them locally towards manufacturing more of those intermediate products within Uganda, thereby retaining greater value in the domestic economy. Roofings currently achieves approximately 54% local value addition on every hot-rolled coil it processes, with the value of local processing estimated at more than UGX 400 billion.
President Museveni also highlighted Uganda’s significant iron ore resources, including high-grade deposits with purity levels of approximately 65%, and called for these resources to be harnessed to build a competitive domestic steel industry.
“Uganda has abundant iron ore resources, including high-grade iron ore, and we must use these resources to build a competitive steel industry,” President Museveni said.
The President further underscored the importance of building strong regional markets to support Uganda’s industrialisation and create opportunities for wealth and employment.
“A strong market makes it easy for wealth creators to succeed. All they want is a market, and by having a big and sure market, we will create jobs and wealth,” he said.
President Museveni commended Roofings’ growth, noting that the company had built annual turnover to approximately UGX 1.2 trillion and exports of about US$70 million. He also cited Roofings as an example of productive international cooperation, combining technology and expertise from countries including Italy and Japan with construction and other partnerships involving Chinese companies.
From a Modest Beginning to a Regional Manufacturing Leader
Addressing guests at the commissioning, Dr. Sikander Lalani said the new facility represented both a significant milestone for Roofings Group and a demonstration of what sustained investment in African manufacturing can achieve.
Roofings’ journey in Uganda began 32 years ago as a modest sheet-forming operation in Lubowa. Today, the Group has developed into one of East and Central Africa’s leading steel manufacturers, serving customers across Uganda and regional markets.
Dr. Lalani said the company’s growth has been guided by a commitment to sustainable industrialisation, ethical business, quality manufacturing and retaining economic value within Africa.
“Our vision is to be an accelerator for a sustainable Africa. To us, sustainability means employment that endures, doing business ethically, treating people fairly, and manufacturing products of genuine quality that withstand time and use. It means capturing value here, at home, rather than exporting opportunity elsewhere.”
He said this vision is closely aligned with Uganda’s Vision 2040 and the country’s ambition to develop into a modern, industrialised economy.
“Every coil we roll, every ton we melt, every job we create, every young engineer we train, is a deliberate contribution to that national vision.”
Dr. Lalani also thanked President Museveni and the Government of Uganda for creating an environment that has enabled sustained private-sector investment, particularly through peace and security, infrastructure development, regional integration and the continued prioritisation of industrialisation.
He recalled that when Roofings began developing its Namanve operations nearly two decades ago, President Museveni encouraged the company to invest in the industrial park and committed Government to providing the necessary supporting infrastructure.
That infrastructure, he said, subsequently accompanied the different phases of Roofings’ investment and has contributed to the growth of the Kampala Industrial and Business Park into one of Uganda’s major manufacturing centres.
Advanced Technology, Manufactured in Uganda
Phase IV introduces advanced manufacturing technology that substantially increases Roofings Group’s ability to process steel locally and manufacture products that meet international standards.
The new industrial complex comprises four major production lines:
- A 4-Hi Cold Rolling Mill
- An Edge Trimming Line
- A Hot-Dip Galvanising Line
- A Colour Coating Line
The Cold Rolling Mill incorporates advanced automation technology supplied by global engineering and technology companies including Danieli, Siemens and ABB, while the galvanising line uses hydrogen generated on-site through electrolysis.
The technological investment is expected to enhance production efficiency, product consistency and manufacturing capabilities while strengthening Roofings’ ability to serve domestic and export markets.
The additional 150,000 tonnes of annual capacity brings Roofings’ total cold-rolled capacity to 300,000 tonnes per annum, while the Group’s overall installed production capacity across its various lines stands at 625,000 tonnes annually.
Roofings also now has capacity to manufacture approximately 4.2 million iron sheets per month — more than 50 million sheets annually — enough to roof more than 1.6 million homes each year.
Creating Jobs, Skills and Industrial Capability
Beyond manufacturing capacity, Phase IV represents an investment in Uganda’s human capital and industrial skills.
The expansion is expected to create approximately 400 new direct jobs, while also supporting employment throughout Roofings’ wider ecosystem of suppliers, distributors, transporters, contractors, hardware businesses and other enterprises participating in Uganda’s construction and manufacturing value chain.
The facility will additionally create opportunities for technical training, skills development and knowledge transfer as Ugandan engineers, technicians and manufacturing professionals work with increasingly sophisticated steel-production technology.
Dr. Lalani emphasised that building Uganda’s industrial capability requires investment not only in factories, but also in the people capable of operating and advancing them.
Deepening Local Value Addition Through Backward Integration
Looking beyond Phase IV, Roofings Group reaffirmed its intention to deepen its partnership with the Government of Uganda and invest further in backward integration, bringing an even greater proportion of the steel value chain into Uganda.
Dr. Lalani announced that Roofings has already established a dedicated entity to begin exploration work in Uganda as part of its vertical-integration journey.
The long-term ambition is to combine Uganda’s iron ore and renewable-energy potential with complementary regional resources and markets to establish quality iron and steel manufacturing at significant scale.
Roofings believes greater regional integration can unlock the complementary strengths of East African economies, combining resources, energy, infrastructure and markets to build globally competitive African manufacturing industries.
The Group also called for continued investment in regional infrastructure, including rail, trade corridors and reliable, competitively priced energy, to improve the competitiveness of African manufacturing.
Supporting Uganda’s Regional Manufacturing Ambition
Phase IV strengthens Uganda’s broader ambition to accelerate industrialisation, promote local value addition and reduce dependence on imported manufactured products.
The investment also supports the principles of the Buy Uganda Build Uganda (BUBU) agenda by expanding the availability of high-quality construction materials manufactured locally.
Roofings Group currently serves markets across East and Central Africa, and the additional manufacturing capacity is expected to strengthen Uganda’s ability to export higher-value steel products into regional and international markets.
In 2024 and 2025, Roofings Group exported goods worth approximately UGX 264 billion and UGX 229.6 billion respectively, while contributing approximately UGX 9.3 billion and UGX 10 billion respectively to the National Social Security Fund (NSSF).
The Group believes Uganda has the potential to become an increasingly important manufacturing base for East and Central Africa by competing on quality, technology, scale, efficiency and local value addition.
Beyond Steel: Investing in Communities
Dr. Lalani said Roofings’ vision of being an accelerator for a sustainable Africa extends beyond manufacturing and encompasses investment in the communities in which the company operates.
As part of this commitment, Roofings Group is undertaking the full reconstruction of Kasubi Family Primary School at a cost of UGX 3.7 billion, working in collaboration with Kampala Capital City Authority, with construction undertaken by CCCC.
The initiative complements Roofings Group’s wider social investments in healthcare, education, forestry and environmental sustainability.
Closing his remarks with a message to Uganda’s young people, Dr. Lalani encouraged the next generation to think ambitiously, work with discipline and integrity, and build enterprises and institutions that endure.
“The future of Uganda, and this continent, will be shaped by your hands, your ideas, and your resolve.”
He reaffirmed Roofings Group’s confidence in Uganda and Africa’s industrial future and the Group’s commitment to its vision of being “an accelerator for a sustainable Africa.”
