Sumitomo Corporation Africa has its head office in Johannesburg, South Africa, which is the regional operational hub for covering 6 offices in Sub-Saharan Africa. Experience and expertise of our Africa team ensures effective and seamless region-wide interaction. Our business in Sub-Saharan Africa is conducted in an organic way to promote optimal collaboration between regional offices on the one hand and the group headquarters in Tokyo and overseas colleagues on the other while making the most of Sumitomo Corporation Group’s Integrated Corporate Strength as well as extensive global network.

Sumitomo Corporation Africa

Johannesburg Head Office

Sumitomo Corporation Africa Head Office is situated at Nelson Mandela Square in Sandton, the heart of South African financial and business centre. Johannesburg Office functions as a hub for all operations in Sub-Saharan Africa and covers the most comprehensive range of services, products and projects. The experience and expertise of the Johannesburg team ensures effective and seamless region-wide interaction.

In line with Sumitomo Corporation’s mission and values, a strong focus is placed on the coordination and development of the organization’s human capital, its most valuable resource. This is to create maximum value on a daily basis to serve as the strategic solution provider of choice, with unmatched excellence in Africa and the world.

Sumitomo Corporation

Addis Ababa Liaison Office

Ethiopia has a population of over 120 million, making it the country with the second highest population in Africa. Its youthful population is an incredible asset and an untapped resource for positive growth in the future, while Ethiopia has played an important role in the Horn of Africa.

Sumitomo Corporation through its consortium with Vodafone Group has been awarded a license to operate telecommunication services in Ethiopia in 2021 and its Joint Venture Company, Safaricom Telecommunications Ethiopia PLC has been working to start providing its services in 2022 with the corporate mission "transforming Ethiopian lives for a Digital Future", which can realize an important governmental strategy "Digital Ethiopia 2025".

Under these circumstances, Sumitomo Corporation has confidence that there would be many opportunities to create new businesses by leveraging the telecom service, which is one of the important infrastructures for Ethiopia, to develop the country further and to solve the existing social problems and thus, Sumitomo Corporation has established an office in Addis Ababa in April 2022.

We would like to contribute and realize a better life for the people of Ethiopia through our multi-faceted business activities all over the world.

Nairobi Liaison Office

Kenya is an important contributor in East Africa. With a strategically placed major port of Mombasa, well developed financial markets and a skilled work force, it is one of the most progressive countries in Sub Sahara Africa.

Kenya with five other countries; Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and South Sudan form a regional intergovernmental organization called the East African Community (EAC), which aims to enhance cooperation among the partner states in political, economic and social fields for their mutual benefit.

Nairobi Liaison Representative Office was established in 1969, it is the regional hub for Sumitomo Corporation in East and Central Africa. Our role is to connect the increasing demand in the East African market with the supply of most appropriate commodities via our Global Network.

We are involved in multi-faceted business activities such as automotive, steel products, agrochemicals, construction equipment, geothermal power development and business in innovative technology. We take pride in closely working with our business partners enriching lives in Kenya and its neighboring countries.

Dar es Salaam Liaison Office

Tanzania has enjoyed a long period of political stability which has enabled the country to undergo impressive political and economic development and improve social welfare. In recent years, the country’s focus has centered on curbing corruption and developing infrastructures to attract foreign direct investment. Tanzania’s lucrative natural resources remain largely unexploited. Its greatest potential lies in significant natural gas deposits, vast agricultural land and rare earth metals and minerals in quantities estimated to be some of the largest and rarest in the region. Sumitomo Corporation’s re-entry into Tanzania in late 2012 was a timely move given the opportunity in a largely unexploited power sector. The company has been well positioned, completing a 240MW natural gas-fired combined cycle power plant EPC (construction) in the outskirts of Dar es Salaam and seeking for next contribution in power infrastructure for the Government of Tanzania. The company is also looking at the upstream and downstream natural gas and oil sector to supply premium tubular products and accessories to international oil companies. Having such solid footprints, Sumitomo Corporation will keep focusing on sustainable development and social needs of Tanzania.

Antananarivo Liaison Office

Madagascar, a big island in the Indian Ocean with around 28.8 million people, is renowned for its rich biodiversity. This beautiful island nation is of high strategic importance to Sumitomo Corporation as we are engaged in and committed to the Ambatovy project, one of the world’s largest nickel extraction projects as well as the biggest investment of Sumitomo in Sub-Saharan Africa. We at Antananarivo Office take pride in providing vital support to the Ambatovy project, which embodies our commitment to the vision of sustainable and inclusive development; conservation of biodiversity, infrastructure development, community support, skills transfer and human resource development.

In addition to the Ambatovy project, Sumitomo Corporation is also active in pursuing diverse trade businesses in Madagascar while capitalizing on our extensive global network and integrated corporate strength. Areas we currently focus on include machinery, chemical and food products. With its population growth rate, above the average of Africa at 2.6%, Madagascar offers various opportunities for us to work and grow together in order to turn their unlimited potential into a tangible reality.

Accra Liaison Office

In 2011, Sumitomo Corporation officially selected Accra, Ghana as its base of operation for business incubation in West and Central Africa. This exciting part of Africa is enriched with a dynamic mix of five English-, thirteen French-, three Portuguese-, one Spanish-, and one Arabic-speaking countries. With over 530 million inhabitants, rich mineral resources and a very promising agricultural sector, West Africa is experiencing rapid economic growth, driving its middle-class consumers to ever-improved lives. Now, in 2022, and with only eleven years of experience, our Accra Liaison Office finds itself built on a strong foundation with excellent local partners. Our combined efforts have begun to move into new, exciting stages, with projects including power generation, FPSO owning and chartering, and tubular solutions, and international trade in OCTG and pipeline, mineral resources, machineries, food and agricultural products, and other various products. In Accra, we continue to reinforce our business relations in countries like Ghana, Nigeria, Cote d'Ivoire and Senegal, and are completely committed to playing an increasingly important role as we expand into new frontiers in Central Africa as well as West Africa.

Maputo Liaison Office

Sumitomo Corporation had an office in the capital city, Maputo, for more than 15 years up until 2003. The main businesses then were automobile, construction machinery and infrastructure projects (roads and bridges). In April 2014, we re-opened this office. Through our persistent business development efforts, in February 2016, we succeeded in entering into a contract with a Mozambican public electricity company (EDM) to construct a gas combined cycle power plant and completed the construction of this plant in August 2018 successfully. This plant helps the improvement of electricity supply in Maputo. The electrification rate of Mozambique is still low at around 29%, however, the demand for electricity is growing. To meet the growing demand, we would like to participate in other power plant projects in Mozambique.
Mozambique is a country with abundant natural resources. Especially, natural gas (LNG) is being developed in various parts of the country and its reserves are said to be one of the top five in the world. We will continue to focus on not only power plant business but also sustainable new businesses such as agricultural related business and oil & gas related business, which will contribute to the growth of Mozambique as a member of the Sumitomo Corporation Africa team.