NB Plc starts expansion of Aba brewery
Monday, 11 February 2013 00:00 GODFREY OFURUM
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Nigerian Breweries (NB) Plc, a foremost brewing company in the country, has commenced the expansion of its production facility in Aba, the commercial hub of Abia State.

The Brewing company in 2012 announced plans to inject fresh funds totaling N15 billion, to scale up the production capacity of the brewery by 100 percent.

BusinessDay checks revealed that a new packaging line has already been installed, while work is ongoing at the new brew house.

Ukeje Udah, Brewery manager, NB Plc Aba, while disclosing the expansion programme to Governor Theodore Orji in Umuahia, the State capital, affirmed that the peaceful atmosphere in Aba, attracted the investment to the State.

According to him, the city of Aba has been adjudged as one of the safest towns in the country, which influenced the decision of management to invest in the area.

He disclosed that the new facilities when operational would create more job opportunities for the people of the state.

Governor Orji, while responding, urged Nigerian Breweries Plc, Aba to explore the possibilities of taking over and reviving the abandoned Golden Guinea Breweries in Umuahia, the state capital, noting that they could use the facilities at Golden Guinea breweries to produce its famous Heineken beer, just as the company has invested N15 billion in its Aba factory.

“You could start brewing your famous Heineken beer here and even continue with the Golden Guinea beer since it is a well known brand.

What we want is the group that will reactivate it”, the Governor said. According to him, Abia state is very safe for investment.

This new investment by NB Plc will further scale up the production capacity of the brewery to 2.4 million hectoliters per annum when completed in 2014. NB is Nigeria’s largest brewer by market value.

The company’s shares have risen 11.22 percent this year, compared with a 19 percent advance in the Nigerian Stock Exchange All-Share Index.

http://businessdayonline.com/NG/index.php/markets/companies-and-market/51352-nb-plc-starts-expansion-of-aba-brewery

WONDERFUL DEVELOPMENT

Aba is really a strategic and fortunate city , so many investments in the food , beverage and power sector, with an additional multibillion naira malting plant and aluminium can plant , the Governor should maximize the opportunities by organizing investment seminars and drive for other investors to capitalize on the booming opportunities in this sector. Aba could host more companies than Lagos can because it shares boundary with oil rich states like Akwa Ibom , Rivers , Cross River and other Big states like Enugu , Anambra that can readily absorb every manufactured product in Aba.

Also the city's infrastructure should be expanded so that it wont suffer the fate of lagos that seems to be bursting at it seams.

@KETTYKING YOU ARE RIGHT; ABA IS AN INDUSTRIAL TOWN

kettykings: Aba is really a strategic and fortunate city , so many investments in the food , beverage and power sector, with an additional multibillion naira malting plant and aluminium can plant , the Governor should maximize the opportunities by organizing investment seminars and drive for other investors to capitalize on the booming opportunities in this sector. Aba could host more companies than Lagos can because it shares boundary with oil rich states like Akwa Ibom , Rivers , Cross River and other Big states like Enugu , Anambra that can readily absorb every manufactured product in Aba.

Also the city's infrastructure should be expanded so that it wont suffer the fate of lagos that seems to be bursting at it seams.

^^^The bolded is the problem; if it were a Rochas, Akpabio or a Soludo then i'd be a bit more optimistic.

The investment is a welcome addition to Abas' burgeoning industrial profile .

Close to $100 million; almost as much as the Sam Miller brewery in Onitsha.....so, so far it's a draw!

PS- i'd like to see Aba done up nicely so as the investors are coming in, they wouldn't be put off by the environment.

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More are coming.

The newest investment hub of the Nation


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I think Ϯh℮ reason why companies are coming to Aba is because of Ϯh℮ Geometrix power project. Aba will soon be Ϯh℮ 1st town to experience uninterrupted power supply in Nigeria

PEOPLE ARE COMING TO ABA DUE TO ITS LARGE MARKETS AND CLOSENESS TO LARGE MARKETS UMUAHIA, PORT HARCOURT, OWERRI, UYO, YENAGOA, ONITSHA, ENUGU, AFIKPO, CALABAR BACKED BY A HUGE DEMAND AND AFFORDABLE WORK FORCE.

State governors in the names of orji have been so unfair to that town.
I wish ike nwosu is the governor

All dis Alcohol in the East, hope they will be sold out to the other regions and not mainly consumed in the East.
Alcohol consumed excessively can be a source of problems.

It's good if Factory Road is coming on stronger as it was in the 80s. As an addicted lover of NB's once popular Greensands Shandy, i wish Enyimba City a new industrial renaissance. Enyimba people are talented and very very industrious. May the dreams of Onwuka Kalu and other pioneers of industries in Aba live on! If only Abia govt. will provide the necessary infrastructure to usher Enyimba to the upcoming industrial boom.

No doubt Aba is one of the most industrialized cities in Africa with alot of small and medium scale industries and some large industries. I would advise the governor to urgently give aba the attention it deserves. These industrial developments should be encouraged.

This topic just made me recall an article I read last week about the siting of the largest Aluminium Can Manufacturing Plant in Africa also in Aba, been financed by Fidelity Bank, that is nearing completion:

Fidelity Bank Plc has expressed its readiness to finance a multi-million naira aluminium can project in Aba.

The bank explained in a statement yesterday that the factory, when completed, is expected to take off with an initial production capacity of 1.2 billion cans yearly.
This, it stressed, would surpass the Agbara Can Manufacturing factory that took off with an initial production capacity of 600 million cans per year.

The bank argued that the new plant, when completed, would be the largest aluminum can factory in Africa.

Managing Director/Chief Executive, Fidelity Bank, Reginald Ihejiahi explained that the financing options adopted by the bank were largely driven by its commitment and faith in the development of the Nigerian economy.

Ihejiahi added: “We are a bank operating in an emerging market and we believe that the industrial sector remains the heart of banking in such markets.”

Ihejiahi, whose bank also financed the Agbara Can Manufacturing factory that was constructed by GZ Industries further explained that as an institution in business, the bank is mandated to report to its shareholders.

He said: “When we opened Agbara Can manufacturing factory constructed by GZ Industries and which was commissioned by President Goodluck Jonathan in 2010, it started with 600 million cans per annum, but the second phase of its development took its production to 900million cans and later to 1.2billion.

“However, the Aba Can manufacturing company which is nearing completion will take off from the first day with 1.2billion production capacity and we believe that with this pace Nigeria will soon be self-sufficient in aluminum can production.”

Ihejiahi said the facility would offer enormous opportunity for job creation and other economic benefits to the citizens of the country.
The Aba Can factory is expected to service the breweries and beverage companies in the South-eastern and South-south parts of the country, and by extension other parts of Nigeria.

“We are also not ruling out export opportunities to West African and other African countries because of the size of the factory,” he said.

http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/fidelity-ready-to-finance-aluminium-factory-in-aba/140836/

THE EAST AND WEST ARE GROWING AND DEVELOPING WHILE THE NORTH IS GOING BACKWARD DUE TO HIGH INSECURITY CAUSED BY THEIR FANATICISM, BIGOTRY, ILLITERACY AND TERRORISM. ALL THESE REASONS HAVE DRIVEN AWAY FOREIGN INVESTORS AND IGBOS WHO ARE THE MAIN LOCAL INVESTORS POWERING THE ECONOMY OF THE NORTH FOR PROFIT. THE NORTH SHOULD LEARN TO BE TOLERANT AND HOSPITABLE LIKE THE IGBOS AND YORUBAS. OGUN STATE HAVE BEEN GOVERNED BY A CHRISTAIN, MUSLIM AND PAGAN WITHOUT ANY TROUBLE; WITH EACH RELIGION DOING THEIR PRAYERS AND CELEBRATION WITHOUT ANY TROUBLE. ONCE AGAIN AM HAPPY FOR THE GOOD PEOPLE OF ABA AND I URGE THEIR GOVERNOR TO GIVE ABA THE NECESSARY SUPPORT.

SIGNED: YORUBA RULER
BABA OWO OF IBADAN

THAT'S RIGHT

Aba is nigerian hottest investment, industrial and commercial city, the government of abia state should go into PPP to develop infrastructure needed to catalyse industrial growth, Aba needs a refinery, the steel and glass industry to revamped and expanded to at least service the brewery and power industry, aba can also host more pharmaceutical companies, allied chemicals plants, food and beverage plants plastics and polymers industries textiles and clothing factories and industries and lots of recycling plants. The economy and gdp of Aba would by now be higher than that of kano state which is a thousand years older than aba and higher than ibadan the capital of the south west

It's high time we start investing in other African countries too.. Would be a plus to our economy

yoruba ruler :
THE EAST AND WEST ARE GROWING AND DEVELOPING WHILE THE NORTH IS GOING BACKWARD DUE TO HIGH INSECURITY CAUSED BY THEIR FANATICISM, BIGOTRY, ILLITERACY AND TERRORISM. ALL THESE REASONS HAVE DRIVEN AWAY FOREIGN INVESTORS AND IGBOS WHO ARE THE MAIN LOCAL INVESTORS POWERING THE ECONOMY OF THE NORTH FOR PROFIT. THE NORTH SHOULD LEARN TO BE TOLERANT AND HOSPITABLE LIKE THE IGBOS AND YORUBAS. OGUN STATE HAVE BEEN GOVERNED BY A CHRISTAIN, MUSLIM AND PAGAN WITHOUT ANY TROUBLE; WITH EACH RELIGION DOING THEIR PRAYERS AND CELEBRATION WITHOUT ANY TROUBLE. ONCE AGAIN AM HAPPY FOR THE GOOD PEOPLE OF ABA AND I URGE THEIR GOVERNOR TO GIVE ABA THE NECESSARY SUPPORT.

SIGNED: YORUBA RULER
BABA OWO OF IBADAN

Lord naya or what do you call ur self, why not focus on the topic u create instead of derailing it by bringing north into it? Did the north complain of lack of factory? BTW who need an alcohol factory. If u av half of development of the north in ur SE, only god know what u will say, hypocrite. If terrorism has drivenaway foreign investor from the north, has it drivenaway from SW? U better face ur own problem which including kidnapping armrobbery, and ur new booming factory I.e BABY FACTORY and leave north alone. U can here the Yoruba man who owns Honeywell telling ur governor to tackle security challenges in abia state b4 he will build cement factory for u people.

abu12:

Lord naya or what do you call ur self, why not focus on the topic u create instead of derailing it by bringing north into it? Did the north complain of lack of factory? BTW who need an alcohol factory. If u av half of development of the north in ur SE, only god know what u will say, hypocrite. If terrorism has drivenaway foreign investor from the north, has it drivenaway from SW? U better face ur own problem which including kidnapping armrobbery, and ur new booming factory I.e BABY FACTORY and leave north alone. U can here the Yoruba man who owns Honeywell telling ur governor to tackle security challenges in abia state b4 he will build cement factory for u people.

lol