Industry

imported 2024-03-17 17:43:06

How Storage Central is Expanding Secure Self-Storage Across Nairobi

July 15, 2025

Storage Central is a modern self-storage company in Nairobi focused on delivering secure, affordable, and flexible storage solutions to Kenya’s growing urban population and SME sector. In this in-depth interview, CEO Gerardo Segura shares the company’s vision, expansion strategy, and the unique advantages that make Storage Central Nairobi’s preferred provider of self-storage solutions.

Since its last funding round, the company has raised $700,000 to expand its Nairobi storage facility, adding 1,800 square meters and 180 new storage rooms. With occupancy averaging 75 percent, demand for secure storage units in Nairobi remains strong. This modern self-storage facility now offers nearly 7,900 sqm of leasable space with 860 individual storage units, reflecting Nairobi’s growing need for dedicated storage solutions tailored to both residential and SME storage needs.

Gerardo Segura highlights that self-storage in Nairobi is not only about warehouse alternatives but about enabling flexible storage options that support Kenya’s micro-SMEs, NGOs, and entrepreneurs. Affordable and secure self-storage Nairobi solutions allow businesses to scale up during busy seasons and downsize in slow periods without long-term commitments, supporting economic resilience and sustainable growth. Examples include Matumba dealers in Nairobi who use pay-as-you-use storage units for sorting and distributing secondhand clothing, and medical supply companies like Field Technologies, which grew from 20 to 325 square meters within Storage Central’s facility.

Storage Central’s strategic expansion plan aims to develop 15 to 20 new storage facilities in East Africa, including key markets such as Kampala, Dar es Salaam, and Mauritius, over the next decade. The company is currently looking to raise $20 million to build five additional storage facilities in Nairobi, emphasizing the investment opportunity in East Africa’s self-storage industry. The CEO notes that self-storage investment East Africa represents a rare, untapped market, given the region’s urban density, growing SME sector, and lack of modern self-storage facilities.

Gerardo Segura explains their financing strategy, preferring debt over equity to reduce shareholder dilution while balancing foreign exchange risk with a currency buying program. He describes Storage Central’s lean business model as inherently resilient, with low operational costs, month-to-month rental flexibility, and highly atomized customer base that diversifies risk and ensures financial stability.

Beyond offering secure rental storage units, Storage Central provides value-added services such as insurance-included storage units (with standard coverage of KES 50,000), locks, and transport assistance. Its digital experience includes an online space calculator and reservation system, with plans to scale CRM systems and localize services in Swahili and English to support expansion across East African markets. However, the CEO emphasizes that despite AI and automation trends in global self-storage markets, human-centered customer service remains a competitive advantage in Africa, where face-to-face engagement and trust-building are essential for converting customers.

Gerardo Segura’s message to investors is clear: Storage Central is unlocking opportunity in Africa’s overlooked markets by offering modern, accessible, and flexible storage solutions. It’s not about creating a new need but improving an existing one with purpose-built self-storage facilities that are safe, convenient, and tailored to local realities.

Stephen Yeboah on Green Mining, Mercury-Free Gold, and Ghana’s Commodity Future

June 16, 2025

In this interview, Stephen Yeboah, CEO and co-founder of Commodity Monitor Ghana, shares the company’s journey, vision, and impact in transforming Africa’s commodity value chain through engineering solutions, sustainable mining technology, and strategic trade networks.

Founded in 2017, Commodity Monitor operates at the intersection of commodity trading, logistics, and research, bridging producers and consumers across global markets. The company deals in both soft commodities like maize, wheat, cocoa, and soya, and hard commodities such as gold, oil and gas, and renewable energy technologies.

A core focus of the company is its commitment to green mining practices. In Ghana’s small-scale mining sector—which employs over two million people—Commodity Monitor introduced a mercury-free gold processing technology to replace outdated Chinese machinery. This innovation aligns with Ghana’s commitment to the Minamata Convention and addresses the environmental and health hazards of mercury use in gold mining. Their eco-friendly gold recovery system has delivered up to 87% gold recovery, a major improvement over traditional methods.

Stephen Yeboah emphasizes that formalizing small-scale mining through equipment financing, mining cooperatives, and government partnerships is critical for curbing illegal mining (galamsey) and boosting rural economic development in Ghana. The company’s model has even been replicated in Zambia, proving its scalability and impact.

Commodity Monitor is also positioning itself as a mine support services provider, registered with Ghana’s Minerals Commission, and extending its services to large-scale mining operations. With support from partners in South Africa, Canada, and China, the company continues to fine-tune its technology, adapting machines to local geological conditions—from Obuasi to Tarkwa, Wa, and the Upper East.

Beyond mining, Yeboah highlights the importance of value addition in agriculture, advocating for local processing in cocoa and cereals. He stresses that Africa’s arable land and smart agriculture technologies, such as AI in farming, should be harnessed to shift from import dependency to export leadership.

Looking ahead, Commodity Monitor’s vision is to become a pan-African engineering company that delivers customized solutions across agriculture, mining, energy, and oil and gas—all while promoting environmental sustainability, local beneficiation, and inclusive growth.

“دهانات الجزيرة” تُحدث نقلة نوعية بتشطيبات الأرضيات في المشاعر المقدسة باستخدام منتج ” الجزيرة سبورتكس”

June 16, 2025

ابتكار سعودي بتقنية تبريد للأسطح الإسفلتية لتجربة حجٍ أكثر راحةً وأماناً أسهمت “دهانات الجزيرة“، الشركة الرائدة في صناعة الدهانات والألوان والحلول الإنشائية في المملكة العربية …

James Odongo of KEPRO: Pioneering Kenya’s Circular Economy Through EPR and Recycling Innovation

June 14, 2025

In this interview with James Odongo, CEO of KEPRO (Kenya Extended Producer Responsibility Organisation), he outlines how the organisation is spearheading Kenya’s transition to a circular economy through regulatory alignment, recycling innovation, and strategic public engagement.

Founded in response to the 2017 plastic bag ban in Kenya, KEPRO was established as a special purpose vehicle to help producers take full environmental responsibility for the post-consumption lifecycle of their products. With over 1,000 member companies and close collaboration with the Kenya Association of Manufacturers, KEPRO plays a central role in the implementation of the Sustainable Waste Management Act and EPR regulations introduced in 2024.

Odongo explains that KEPRO’s primary mission is to future-proof business models by encouraging adoption of circular business practices and ensuring compliance with evolving environmental laws. The organization addresses major hurdles such as the cost of compliance, helping members manage financial contributions through a technology-enabled EPR platform that ensures real-time data access and transparency.

With a clear focus on digital transformation, KEPRO has moved beyond manual filing to an interactive compliance system that supports self-declaration, helping reduce administrative burden and increase data confidentiality, especially among competitor-member companies.

Looking ahead to 2025, KEPRO expects growth in collection subsidies, technology investment, and waste compliance support. These budgets are directly tied to partnerships with waste management operators and recyclers, as KEPRO strengthens recycling ecosystems and champions recyclable packaging design. Odongo highlighted the shift by brands like Sprite from green to clear plastic bottles as a positive example of end-of-life product management aligned with recycling goals.

To drive consumer behavior change, KEPRO deploys a mixed communication strategy using digital campaigns, grassroots engagement, social dialogues, and community influencers to reinforce its message: “My waste is my responsibility.” This call to action urges all Kenyans to embrace waste segregation, proper bin use, and active citizenship in building a clean and healthy environment.

KEPRO’s three-year vision is to cement its leadership as Kenya’s premier producer responsibility organization, outpacing competition while scaling its partnerships and environmental impact. At the heart of its strategy lies a commitment to ESG, public-private collaboration, and ensuring that Kenyan businesses remain sustainable, competitive, and compliant in a rapidly evolving regulatory landscape.

Seth Quaye: Driving Ghana’s Mining Innovation Through Local Content and Engineering Excellence

June 12, 2025

In this interview, the MarcoPolis team sat down with Seth Quaye, the CEO of MAC Partners, a Ghana-based engineering and mining services company that has rapidly positioned itself as a key player in West Africa’s mining support services sector. Founded in 2014, MAC Partners has grown into a multi-disciplinary business specializing in aftermarket mining parts, EPC contracting, engineering construction, and mining industry training through its MAC Partners Training Institute.

Operating from its home base in Ghana, MAC Partners services major mining operations across Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Mali, and Guinea, embodying its commitment to local content advocacy. Quaye emphasized the company’s focus on reducing long lead times for mining consumables by investing in local manufacturing—notably, a new production plant in Obuasi that transforms local rubber into mill lining and crusher backing compounds.

With a strong foundation in engineering excellence, the company adheres to four key values: continuous improvement, accountability, respect, and customer-centric service. Its tailored solutions approach ensures that no engineering project is treated with a one-size-fits-all mindset. This has made MAC Partners a trusted name in mine redevelopment projects, including its high-profile involvement in the AGA Obuasi mine and the full-scope rebuild of the Northern Ashanti Mines facility in Konongo.

On the technology front, MAC Partners leverages partnerships with firms in South Africa, Germany, and Sweden to introduce advanced tools such as diagnostics systems, AI-supported training, and robotic welding, particularly within its training and fabrication units. These innovations strengthen the company’s competitiveness and relevance across the mining engineering value chain.

Sustainability is emerging as a strategic focus, with local production efforts helping to reduce the carbon footprint of Ghana’s mining sector. While still developing a formal ESG policy, MAC Partners already aligns its operations with international sustainability standards, especially in collaboration with environmentally conscious clients.

The company is also active in corporate social responsibility (CSR), offering discounted training to local communities and supporting education initiatives in the Obuasi region. Quaye revealed that CSR and skills development for the mining sector are closely tied to MAC Partners’ broader mission to be a “Local Content Ambassador” for the region.

Looking ahead, MAC Partners aims to become West Africa’s number one mining support company, expanding its physical footprint, resourcing its Burkina Faso office, and launching bases in Ivory Coast and Guinea. Through its Talent Acquisition Program, the company is investing in training the next generation of mining engineers in Ghana, with plans to scale this initiative further over the next five years.

Seth Quaye concluded with a strong message to fellow Ghanaian mining companies: the future of the industry lies in local manufacturing, technical collaboration, and transforming Ghana into a net exporter of mining technology and consumables. His leadership continues to drive MAC Partners toward its ambitious goal of being the leading mine support service company in West Africa.

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