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Barely seven months after launching a $100 million soya extraction and vegetable oil refinery in Blantyre, Malawi’s main commercial city, Tanzanian billionaire Said Bakhresa is deepening his bet on the country’s manufacturing sector with a new soap production facility.
The project, under Bakhresa Malawi Limited, reflects Bakhresa’s broader effort to broaden his companies’ activities in Southern Africa. Said Bakhresa, 77, is known across East Africa for building businesses that make everyday products and support local supply chains.
Bakhresa expands Malawi manufacturing base
Richard Tchereko, HR and compliance manager at Bakhresa Malawi, said final assembly of production equipment at the soap works has been completed and trial runs are underway.
“This facility will create jobs and produce toilet soap in volumes that can meet Malawi’s domestic needs,” Tchereko said. “Despite economic challenges in recent years, we have steadily expanded here. That shows our confidence in Malawi as a place to invest and grow.”
Malawi relies heavily on imported soap and detergents, leaving consumers exposed to higher prices and supply gaps. Tchereko said the new factory will source key inputs locally where possible. The investment aligns with President Lazarus Chakwera’s push to attract private capital, support local suppliers, create jobs and strengthen industrial capacity.
A steady rise rooted in enterprise
Said Bakhresa’s rise from a small flour mill operator in Tanzania to a business leader with holdings across food, logistics, marine transport, hospitality and media has been gradual. In 2015, Bakhresa’s fortune was estimated at about $600 million.
The Bakhresa Group’s presence in Malawi already includes a $100 million soya plant, launched in July 2025, that can handle 500 metric tons of soybeans a day, roughly 182,500 tons a year, making it among the biggest processing plants in Africa. To supply the plant, Malawi’s farmers will need to boost production to at least 150,000 metric tons annually, a level that would require more hectares under cultivation and better access to inputs.
Bakhresa expands regional manufacturing footprint
Beyond Malawi, the Bakhresa Group is expanding in its home market. In Tanzania, the group is investing $500 million to expand a drinks factory in Mwandege. The project, expected to finish in 2026, will raise daily production capacity from 150,000 to 300,000 cartons.
That expansion is scheduled to coincide with the company’s 50th anniversary, underscoring Bakhresa’s long-term commitment to manufacturing in East Africa.
