Athi River, which has been distributing cement in south Sudan for the last four years, anticipates heavy investment in infrastructure and increased aid flows which will spur economic growth at a higher rate of growth than other east African economies. The company is looking to establish a market in an independent south Sudan if it splits from the north, which it expects could grow significantly faster than the rest of east Africa.
East African nations could reap trade and investment opportunities worth billions of dollars if south Sudan, which needs building almost from scratch, splits from the north as expected following a secession referendum. "We are looking at establishing a market share in south Sudan by increasing our distribution network to move our products, since we now have increase production capacity" said Pradeep Paunrana, Athi River’s managing director. "We expect the growth rate in south Sudan to be higher than the rest of east Africa … in the region of 20-25 per cent year-on-year," he added. There will be huge opportunities in south Sudan as it would need a huge injection of spending on infrastructure, from roads to power distribution. Leveraging on this opportunity India’s Sanghi Cement plans to build a plant in western Kenya costing 8 bn shillings in collaboration with local firm Cemtech.