Hewatele, a medical oxygen producer in Kenya has kicked off the construction of its first modern liquid oxygen manufacturing plant at the outskirts of Kenyan Capital Nairobi.
Located at Tatu Industrial Park in the Tatu City Special Economic Zone, it is set to be east Africa’s largest liquid oxygen plant.
Once complete, the project will help address trhe rising demand for medical oxygen in the country.
According to Kenya’s Ministry of Health, demand for medical oxygen has increased significantly since the coronavirus pandemic, from 410 tons per month to 880 tons per month.
The project is being supported by a 20 million USD funding package from Finnfund, DFC (the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation), SEDF (Soros Economic Development Fund), UBS Optimus Foundation and Grand Challenges Canada.
Hewatele founder Bernard Olayo said the project will ensure high-quality oxygen is consistently accessible across different facilities in the region.
He said it will also contribute towards achieving universal healthcare and contributing towards the country’s economic growth.
Due to the high production costs, fragmented delivery and storage options, medicinal oxygen is typically eight to ten times more expensive in sub-Saharan Africa than it is in Europe and North America.
The construction of oxygen production facility is expected to enable Hewatele to boost production of medical oxygen by least 20 tons per day, which is expected to reduce the cost to its rural and urban healthcare customers by up-to 30%.
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