Movit extends export market to Zimbabwe, South Africa
Movit, one of Uganda’s largest personal care products manufacturer, has said it has received permission to export its products to Namibia, Zimbabwe and South Africa
What you need to know:
- The expansion, according to Movit is in line with commitment to champion regional economic integration in a number of trading blocs, among them East African Community, Southern African Development Community, Common Market for East and Southern Africa and Africa Continental Free Trade Area.
Movit, one of Uganda’s largest personal care products manufacturer, has said it has received permission to export its products to Namibia, Zimbabwe and South Africa.
The new markets bring to 12 the number of countries in which Movit sells its products.
Movit currently exports its products to Zambia, DR Congo, Tanzania, Kenya, Burundi and South Sudan, among others.
However, it has in the last two years, had challenges with regaining its market in Rwanda following a border row between Uganda and Rwanda, which has seen Uganda’s main entry point to Rwanda in Katuna remain closed for more than two years now.
Speaking at the launch of a new soap product in Kampala, Mr Bruce Mpamizo, the Movit Group chief executive officer, said authorities in three Southern African Development Community member states including Namibia, Zimbabwe and South Africa, had already allowed their products on their markets in an expansion plan that will seek to enter more markets across Africa.
“Before we made the decision to expand exports in the three countries, we conducted a market research and found that products that we export to Zambia Malawi and Mozambique find their way into [Namibia, Zimbabwe and South Africa]. We found that our products are liked there,” he said.
Movit has in the last 20 years become one of Uganda’s largest personal care producer with an export market reach that targets close to 21 countries.
In its 2017-20 corporate plan, Movit had hoped to have reached almost all central and southern Africa countries.
However, this has remained a pipe dream with the company yet to reach some targeted markets such as Angola, Botswana, Cameroun, Central African Republic, Ethiopia, Nigeria and Somalia, a year outside its corporate plan.
No explanation has been given for the failure to achieve targeted markets, however, a number of business had put a number of plans on hold due to Covid-19 related disruptions.
Mr Mpamizo said, their research had shown presence of a wider market for Movit’s products in a number of countries, noting that there was sufficient evidence to enter such markets.
