BGM Rwanda

completed

The project involves construction and operation of a grain milling operation in Kigali, Rwanda by the Bakhresa Group (Bakhresa). Established in 1983, Bakhresa currently operates grain milling operations in Tanzania, Uganda and Malawi, along with grain storage facilities in Mozambique. The combined annual milling capacity of the company is in excess of 800 000 tons. The Rwandan facility will have a milling capacity of approximately 250 tons per day and will service the markets of Rwanda, Burundi and eastern Congo. The mill is to be located within a newly established Industrial Development Zone (IDZ) on the outskirts of Kigali and will be the first development within the Zone. The total project cost is about $24 500 000 and the IFC’s is funding an amount of $8 000 000 i.e. 33%.Milling is typically a relatively low impact process. Following transport to site, grain will be offloaded from vehicles in 50 kg bags, emptied into a grain in-take and then transferred to grain silos (at the Bakhresa facility, generally 400 tons of grain will be offloaded daily). Thereafter, the grain is cleaned by means screening, separation and aspiration and then scoured to remove the loose dust on the grain particles. The grain is then dampened and placed in temporary bins for 24 hours following which it is milled by means of a grinding and sifting system. Product is generally 75% flour and 25% byproduct (bran and pollard), although these quantities may vary depending on the quality of the grain received. The flour is then packaged in 25 and 50 kg bags, while the bran and pollard is stored in the bags in which grain was received, prior to sale as animal feed. All the milling activities as defined above will occur within an enclosed building comprised of concrete floors with steel and brick wall cladding. Limited quantities of grain are sourced from Africa with the majority of the grain being imported from areas such as South America, United States, Australia and Europe, amongst others. Most of the grain will be transferred via rail from the Port of Dar es Salaam to Issaka within Tanzania. Thereafter, it will be transported by road to the mill; the IDZ is located adjacent to the primary access road between Kigali and Dar es Salaam. Some of the flour will be transported by Bakresa to customers, although the majority will be collected by customers directly from the mill. Bran and pollard will be transferred by road and rail to Dar es Salaam for export.