The Africa success story

Africa is a strong draw for any global conglomerate, and the same holds true for the Aditya Birla Group. The Group’s footprint across this rich continent spreads from Egypt in the north to Mozambique in the south, from Cote D’Ivoire in the west to Tanzania in the east.

Home to Birla Carbon

One of the earliest Group businesses to get a foothold in Africa is Birla Carbon Egypt SAE. Established in Alexandria in 1993 as Alexandria Carbon Black, Birla Carbon is well-entrenched today in the country's industrial landscape. A manufacturing facility in Alexandria with over 200 employees makes it one of Egypt's biggest and most reputed private sector industrial entities.

Today Birla Carbon Egypt exports most of its carbon black output to premier tyre manufacturers in Europe, including Michelin, Goodyear, Pirelli, Continental and Bridgestone.

The company is leading the way in dismantling gender and occupational stereotypes in Africa. Ms Samah Shawky, who first joined the company in 1998 as a fresh graduate in the Quality department, now leads the unit as the Managing Director.

Birla Carbon Egypt's efforts to promote sustainable commerce through the conservation and development of the environment and social responsibility have been recognised at various forums. At a conference on 'UN Sustainable Development Goals and Business Opportunities' held in Cairo in 2019, specifically for Egypt's private sector, the company was named the 'Pioneer Business for Sustainable Development, 2018'.

One with the community

The company has been active in propagating the idea of sustainable living and commerce in Egypt, with a particular focus on educating the country's student community.

Through the 'LEARN' programme, Birla Carbon Egypt motivates students to adopt a sustainable way of life. The programme engages students from chosen schools and universities in constructive activities, including craft, painting and converting plastic, paper, wood and metal waste into everyday utility items.

Birla Carbon Egypt has consistently partnered with the country's educational institutions to achieve cooperation and integration between the industry and the educational system to benefit society positively.

In 2019, the company signed a protocol of cooperation with Alexandria University to provide its students with training opportunities and enrich them with theoretical and practical experiences. The association would also provide the University with an opportunity to undertake scientific research to serve the industry. Birla Carbon Egypt was one of the 16 largest industrial companies in Alexandria to sign the protocol agreement and one of six members of the Higher Council that governs the protocol.

A similar protocol was entered into with Pharos University, a keen partner in Birla Carbon Egypt's efforts towards promoting sustainable enterprise. Earlier, in 2018, Birla Carbon Egypt was entrusted with the honour of delivering the keynote address at the Second International Conference on New Trends for Sustainable Energy (ICNTSE), organised by the University. Dr Gilles Moninot, Global Director of Sustainability, Birla Carbon, highlighted the company's environmental stewardship approach and performance in his keynote address.

The same year, the company associated with the University to organise an annual competition titled 'Towards A Sustainable Tomorrow' for the graduating students of its engineering faculty. The competition recognises and promotes ideas on sustainability. A protocol signed with Egypt-Japan University in 2020 saw them hold a similar competition for their students last year.

Widespread trading centres

Another company from the Aditya Birla Group — Swiss Singapore Overseas Enterprises Pte Ltd (SSOE) — has a widespread presence in the African continent. The bulk commodity trading solutions provider sources bulk coal from South Africa and Mozambique for its comprehensive coal trade network spread across the globe. Recently, the company has started dealing in one of the world’s fastest-growing food staples — rice. It also sources tea from Kenya for export to geographies across the globe and actively trades in South African iron ore lumps. The company has developed warehousing facilities in various African countries to serve its customers' varied requirements.

The Aditya Birla Group has created an overarching presence in Africa that stretches across the continent's manufacturing, trading, commercial and social landscape.