Museveni Commissions $125 Million Roofings Steel Plant as Uganda Deepens Local Manufacturing
The Phase IV Level 2 Ultra-Modern Cold Rolling Mill Complex, located at the Kampala Industrial and Business Park in Namanve, adds 150,000 metric tonnes to Roofings Group’s annual cold-rolled steel production capacity, bringing the company’s total cold-rolled capacity to 300,000 tonnes per year.
The expansion comes as Uganda seeks to accelerate industrialisation, increase local value addition and reduce reliance on imported manufactured products.
Speaking at the commissioning ceremony, President Museveni praised Roofings Group Chairman and Managing Director Dr. Sikander Lalani for the company’s continued investment in Uganda, saying its growth demonstrates the importance of processing more of the country’s resources locally.
According to the President, Roofings has progressively shifted from importing intermediate steel products for local processing towards manufacturing more of those products within Uganda, allowing a greater share of the economic value to remain in the country.
Roofings currently achieves about 54% local value addition on every hot-rolled coil it processes, with the value of local processing estimated at more than UGX 400 billion.
“Uganda has abundant iron ore resources, including high-grade iron ore, and we must use these resources to build a competitive steel industry,” Museveni said.
From imported inputs to locally manufactured steel
The President also pointed to Uganda’s substantial iron ore reserves, including deposits with reported purity levels of around 65%, arguing that the country should move further up the steel production value chain by making greater use of its own mineral resources.
He further stressed the importance of regional markets in supporting industrial growth, arguing that manufacturers need large and reliable markets to create jobs and generate wealth.
“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.
Museveni said Roofings has grown its annual turnover to approximately UGX 1.2 trillion, while exports have reached about US$70 million.
Roofings’ investment surpasses $500 million
The Phase IV project takes Roofings Group’s cumulative investment in Uganda to more than US$500 million, while the company’s total installed production capacity across its various manufacturing lines has reached approximately 625,000 metric tonnes annually.
Roofings’ expansion also comes more than three decades after the company began operations in Uganda.
Dr. Lalani said the business started in 1994 as a modest sheet-forming operation in Lubowa and has since grown into one of East and Central Africa’s leading steel manufacturers.
He described the latest investment as evidence of what sustained investment in African manufacturing can achieve.
“Our vision is to be an accelerator for a sustainable Africa,” Lalani said, linking the company’s strategy to Uganda’s ambition of becoming a modern, industrialised economy under Vision 2040.
He said the company’s approach goes beyond building factories, arguing that industrialisation should also create lasting employment, develop skills and ensure that more economic value is retained within Africa.
“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,” he said.
Technology at the heart of the new plant
The new complex incorporates advanced manufacturing technology designed to improve production efficiency, product consistency and the ability to manufacture steel products that meet international standards.
It 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 uses automation technology supplied by international engineering companies including Danieli, Siemens and ABB.
The galvanising line also uses hydrogen produced on-site through electrolysis, reflecting the company’s investment in more advanced production technologies.
With the additional capacity, Roofings now has the ability to manufacture approximately 4.2 million iron sheets every month, equivalent to more than 50 million sheets annually.
The company says that output would be enough to roof more than 1.6 million homes every year.
About 400 new jobs expected
Beyond increasing steel production, Roofings says the Phase IV expansion is expected to create approximately 400 direct jobs.
The project is also expected to generate wider economic activity among suppliers, transporters, distributors, contractors, hardware businesses and other enterprises linked to Uganda’s construction and manufacturing sectors.
The new plant will also provide opportunities for technical training and knowledge transfer as Ugandan engineers, technicians and other professionals work with increasingly sophisticated steel-production systems.
Lalani said Uganda’s industrial transformation would require investment not only in physical infrastructure but also in the people capable of operating and advancing modern manufacturing facilities.
Roofings looks to Uganda’s iron ore
Roofings is already looking beyond the latest expansion.
Lalani announced that the company has established a dedicated entity to begin iron ore exploration in Uganda, as part of a longer-term strategy to integrate more stages of the steel value chain within the country.
The ambition is to combine Uganda’s iron ore resources and renewable-energy potential with regional resources and markets to develop large-scale iron and steel manufacturing.
Roofings also called for continued investment in regional infrastructure, including railways, trade corridors and reliable, competitively priced energy, which it says are essential to making African manufacturing more competitive.
Boost to regional exports
The new capacity is expected to strengthen Uganda’s ability to supply higher-value steel products to both domestic and regional markets.
Roofings currently serves markets across East and Central Africa, including Rwanda, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Tanzania and South Sudan.
The company exported goods worth approximately UGX 264 billion in 2024 and UGX 229.6 billion in 2025.
During the same period, it contributed approximately UGX 9.3 billion and UGX 10 billion, respectively, to Uganda’s National Social Security Fund.
Roofings says the expansion supports Uganda’s Buy Uganda Build Uganda (BUBU) agenda by increasing the availability of construction materials manufactured locally.
Investment beyond steel
Roofings says its investment in Uganda extends beyond manufacturing.
The company is currently undertaking the reconstruction of Kasubi Family Primary School at a reported cost of UGX 3.7 billion, in partnership with Kampala Capital City Authority, with construction being carried out by CCCC.
The project forms part of wider Roofings investments in education, healthcare, forestry and environmental sustainability.
As he concluded his remarks, Lalani urged Uganda’s young people to embrace ambition, discipline and integrity as they prepare to shape the country’s industrial future.
“The future of Uganda, and this continent, will be shaped by your hands, your ideas, and your resolve,” he said.
For Roofings Group, the commissioning of the Namanve facility marks another major step in a three-decade expansion journey and signals its ambition to play a larger role in building an African steel industry based on local resources, advanced technology, regional markets and value addition.
Picture:
President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni commissions Roofings Group’s US$125 million Phase IV Ultra-Modern Cold Rolling Mill Complex in Namanve, Uganda, on August 26, 2026.
President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni commissions Roofings Group’s US$125 million Phase IV steel manufacturing plant in Namanve, Uganda.
Story: UFITINEMA Aime Gerard
