What Safal Group does

Safal Group is a privately held Kenyan manufacturing conglomerate founded in 1962 and headquartered in Nairobi. It is described in its own materials as Africa's largest building solutions provider and the largest steel roofing company on the continent, operating across 9 countries in Eastern and Southern Africa (Ethiopia, Kenya, Namibia, Rwanda, South Africa, Zambia, Mozambique, Tanzania, and Uganda) through a network of 36 operations and wholly-owned subsidiaries including Mabati Rolling Mills (MRM), Uganda Baati, ALAF, Safintra (Rwanda and South Africa), Ethiopian Steel PLC, Safal Building Systems, and Safal Steel.

The company's core product is coated steel roofing and building materials built around its proprietary Zincal® zinc-aluminum coating technology, which is positioned as delivering superior durability and longevity under African climate conditions. Beyond coated steel coils and roofing sheets, Safal Group supplies a broad building solutions portfolio — roofing systems, engineered trusses, ventilation products, hollow sections, pipes, beams, and pre-engineered buildings — serving residential, commercial, and industrial construction end markets. The group also bundles pre- and post-installation technical assistance as part of its offering, supporting both B2B contractors/developers and retail consumers reached through subsidiary showroom networks.

Revenue is generated primarily through hardware sales of coated steel products and integrated building solutions distributed via regional subsidiary channel partners, direct sales teams, and retail showrooms (e.g., 10 Uganda Baati showrooms in Uganda). Pricing is not publicly disclosed. Beyond commercial operations, Safal Group maintains an active corporate social responsibility footprint through the Mabati Medical Centre (Mariakani, Kenya, established 2000), the Mabati Technical Training Institute (established 2005; 16,000+ youth trained), the Safal Cornell Kiswahili Prize for African Literature (founded 2014 in partnership with Cornell University and the Ngugi wa Thiong'o Foundation), and the Safal Eye in the Wild photography competition (launched 2017). The group is led by CEO Andrew Lindgren and is privately held with no public listing or disclosed investors.

Name

Safal Group

Legal name

Safal Group Ltd

Website

https://safalgroup.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1962

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Safal Group manufactures coated steel roofing and integrated building solutions across 9 Eastern and Southern African countries, serving residential, commercial, and industrial construction markets through subsidiaries including Mabati Rolling Mills, Uganda Baati, ALAF, Safintra, and Ethiopian Steel PLC.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Steel Roofing and Building Materials

NAICS

Custom Roll Forming (332114), Steel Product Manufacturing from Purchased Steel (3312), Paint and Coating Manufacturing (32551)

SIC

Sheet Metal Work (3444), Prefabricated Metal Buildings & Components (3448), Fabricated Structural Metal Products (3440)

akta.pro primary industry

Metal Roofing Systems (IMADAFAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Metal Roofing & Wall Panels (Architectural/Structural) (IMADACAG), Coated & Plated Steel (Galvanized, Galvalume, Tinplate, Electrogalvanized, Color-Coated) (IMAKABAG), Protective Coatings, Galvanizing & Metal Finishing for Structural Steel (IMADACAK)

Keywords

• Metal roofing products
• Coated steel manufacturing
• Building solutions supply
• Pre-engineered buildings
• Steel structural products

Headquarters

HQ city

Nairobi

HQ country

Kenya

HQ region

Africa

Offices9 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Coated Steel Products Sales: Sale of coated steel products including Zincal® coated roofing sheets, steel coils, and building materials to contractors, builders, developers, and end customers across Eastern and Southern Africa.
2. Building Solutions: Comprehensive building solutions including roofing systems, engineered trusses, ventilation products, and steel structural products (hollow sections, pipes, beams) for residential, commercial, and industrial applications.
3. Technical Services: Pre- and post-installation technical assistance services supporting the sale of building solutions, adding value to hardware product sales.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Safal Group manufactures and distributes coated steel products (featuring proprietary Zincal® zinc-aluminum coating technology), building solutions (roofing systems, engineered trusses, ventilation products, hollow sections, pipes, beams), and pre-engineered buildings for residential, commercial, and industrial construction applications across Eastern and Southern Africa. The group provides pre- and post-installation technical assistance alongside its hardware products.

Product overview

Safal Group is Africa's largest building solutions provider, operating as a single unified portfolio of steel roofing and building solutions. The core product lines include Coated Steel (featuring proprietary Zincal® zinc-aluminum coating technology), Building Solutions (roofing systems, engineered trusses, ventilation products, hollow sections, pipes, and beams), and Pre-engineered Buildings. These products serve residential, industrial, and commercial applications across 9 countries in Eastern and Southern Africa. The group operates through multiple subsidiary brands including Mabati Rolling Mills Ltd (MRM) in Kenya, Safal Building Systems, Ethiopian Steel PLC, Uganda Baati Limited, ALAF in Tanzania, Safintra Rwanda, Safintra South Africa, and Safal Steel. Beyond core products, Safal Group offers technical assistance services and color coating processes formulated for African climate conditions. The group also maintains CSR initiatives including the Safal Eye in the Wild photography competition and the Safal Cornell Kiswahili Prize for African Literature.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Mabati Rolling Mills (MRM): Africa's pioneer manufacturer of coated steel and building solutions, operating in Kenya with products for residential, commercial and industrial sectors.
• Safal Building Systems (SBS)
• Uganda Baati
• Safintra
• ALAF
• Safal Steel
• Safal Cornell Kiswahili Prize
• Safal Eye in the Wild

Products and services

• Coated Steel Steel products featuring Zincal® zinc-aluminum coating technology that provides enhanced durability, corrosion resistance, and longevity for roofing applications across African climate conditions; sold to contractors, builders, developers, and end customers across Eastern and Southern Africa.
• Building Solutions Comprehensive building solutions including roofing systems, engineered trusses, ventilation products, and structural steel products (hollow sections, pipes, beams) for residential, commercial, and industrial applications across Eastern and Southern Africa.
• Pre-engineered Buildings Prefabricated, pre-engineered building solutions designed for quick deployment across residential, industrial, and commercial applications in Eastern and Southern Africa.

Quantifiable outcome

• Durability and longevity through Zincal® technology
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Cornell UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2014Co-sponsor of the Safal-Cornell Kiswahili Prize for African Literature. The Office of the Vice Provost for International Affairs and the Africana Studies Center at Cornell University partner with Safal Group to promote Kiswahili literature and African languages.
• Ngugi wa Thiong'o FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2014Co-founder and partner in the Safal-Cornell Kiswahili Prize for African Literature. The foundation co-sponsors the prize with Safal Group and Cornell University to recognize writing in African languages.
• Mkuki na Nyota PublisherscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOfficial publisher of winning manuscripts from the Safal-Cornell Kiswahili Prize. Works with regional publishers and distributors to ensure maximum reach for winning books in Kiswahili. Winning poetry is translated to English and published by Africa Poetry Book Fund.
• Uganda's National Forestry Authority (NFA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to replant 40 hectares of indigenous trees across Uganda (10 hectares per region: Central, East, West, North). Locations include Bajo Central Forest Reserve, Namatale Central Forest Reserve, Lokiragado Central Forest Reserve, and Mubuku Central Forest Reserve.
• QACCS Golf ClubminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSafintra has been a partner and proud sponsor of the QACCS Nationals since 2018. QACCS (Quantity Surveyors, Architects, Consultants, Contractors & Suppliers) is an annual golf tournament encouraging business relationships in the construction industry.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• BlueScope Steel: Australian-headquartered global leader in metallic-coated and painted steel building products, including the Zincalume® zinc/aluminum-magnesium coated steel brand — the direct technology analogue to Safal's Zincal® offering in coated metal roofing.
• Everest Industries Limited: India-based manufacturer of building products including steel roofing sheets, pre-engineered buildings, and building solutions for emerging markets in Africa and Asia — directly comparable product portfolio and target customer profile to Safal Group.
• Tata BlueScope Steel: India-headquartered joint venture of Tata Steel and BlueScope Steel producing coated steel roofing, wall cladding, and pre-engineered buildings across South Asia and Southeast Asia, directly comparable to Safal's coated steel and pre-engineered building portfolio.

Broad incumbents

• Tata Steel Limited: Global steel major with growing African footprint producing coated steel products, structural steel, and pre-engineered buildings — comparable in scale and product breadth though significantly larger and more diversified than Safal.
• ArcelorMittal South Africa: Largest steel producer on the African continent offering flat steel, galvanized products, and color-coated coils used in roofing and construction, providing direct competition to Safal in coated steel markets across southern Africa.

Regional players

• Macsteel: South Africa's largest steel service center and distributor, supplying coated and galvanized steel products to African construction markets — a regional channel competitor to Safal's Safintra and Safal Steel distribution arms.
• Union Steel South Africa: South African-based manufacturer and distributor of steel products including galvanized and coated steel for construction and roofing applications, operating in overlapping southern African markets with Safal.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/the_safaleyeinthewild
• Xx.com/The_Safal_Group
• Facebookfacebook.com/TheSafalGroup.OfficialPage

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Safal Group