Africa
and does not promote cohesion or good
behavior remains outlawed.”
Demand for anti-graffiti coatings in
Kenyan PSVs is likely to remain muted
or with minimal changes mainly linked
to the increasing number of new vehicles.
The Kenya National Bureau of Statistics
says newly registered vehicles increased
by 9.1 percent from 94,017 units in 2013
to 102,606 in 2014. The State-owned
statistics agency said although there was
a decline in the number of mini-buses
and PSVs, popularly known as Matatus
in Kenya, by 9. 4 percent between 2013
and 2014, there was a noted increase in
the number of newly registered buses and
coaches, another popular means of road
transport in the country.
Elsewhere in East Africa, the need to
attract more passengers by PSV operators provides an opportunity for growth
of anti-graffiti coating solutions that have
peculiar properties of repelling dirt and
also allowing for easy of cleaning. As the
number of PSVs increase in East Africa, so
would be the competition for passengers.
PSVs with services painted with quality
anti-graffiti coatings that do not retain dirt
and can which can be easily cleaned stand
a chance of survival such a competition.
In Tanzania, the region’s second largest economy, statistics indicate the number of newly registered PSVs has been on
the increase reflecting “high growth that
is well above the GDP growth” according
to the African Development Bank.
“Many of the vehicles entering
Tanzania market comprise of used ones
mainly from Japan, UK and the Middle
East, where they are significantly cheap-
er than new vehicles and are likely to
dominate the market for several years
to come,” said AfDB in its Tanzania
Transport Sector review last year.
The Tanzania transport sector is likely
to remain a good market for anti-graffiti
coatings applications as the number of
PSVs continue to increase. The number
of light passenger vehicles in Tanzania
increased from 113,138 units in 2005 to
279,120 in 2010 according to a previous
survey by AfDB. Heavy passenger vehicles in this market increased from 18,943
units to 38,809 in the same period.
In Uganda, where road transport
carries 95 percent and 99 percent of
the country’s goods and passenger traf-
fic respectively, the number of vehicles
is estimated at between 800,000 and
1,000,000 although Ronald Amanyire
of the Ministry of Works and Transport
said data provided by Uganda Revenue
Authority is “fragmented and incoherent
with different classifications.”
Rail and road signage provide the best
opportunities for anti-graffiti coating
dealers across East Africa where illegal
use of graffiti poses a threat to the perfor-
mance of rail transport and effectiveness
of signs in improving road safety.
Rail transport is more pronounced in
Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda and recent
additional investments mean more train
cars and therefore a likely high use of
anti-graffiti coating applications. For ex-
ample, the Rift Valley Railways, the con-
cessionaire operating the 2,350 kilometer
Kenya-Uganda railway line, is currently
investing in rehabilitation of the track to
accommodate more trains moving at de-
signed speed, upgrading and moderniza-
tion of the locomotive fleet, rehabilitation
of the rolling stock and purchase of new
locomotives and wagons, a major oppor-
tunity for the anti-graffiti coating dealers
in the region. The investment is expected
to attract more cargo and passengers be-
tween the two countries.
In Tanzania, the Tanzania-Zambia
Railway Authority (TAZARA), which
operates the Tanzania-Zambia railway
announced in November 2014 the pur-
chase of four new diesel-electric main-
line locomotives and 18 new passenger
coaches valued at US$22.4 million.
The railway operator, which is owned
by the governments of Tanzania and
Zambia, said it is also hoping to invest
more in new locomotives and trains to
attract more passengers and cargo, now
ferried mainly by road.
Railway operators in East Africa are
fighting to increase their share of the
transport traffic market, currently esti-
mated at less than ten percent, and are
therefore keen in building and maintain-
ing a good name by being clean through
using topcoats and basecoats that would
ensure less dirt and easy cleaning.
Traffic signs such as road signs, traffic
signals and road markings have occasional-
ly been a target of illegal graffiti that deface
the information leading to road accidents.
Applying quality anti-graffiti coatings on
these road furniture that prevents the graf-
fiti from sticking to surfaces and enables
quick and easy erasing of the artwork or
writings, would be one way of boosting
road and rail safety in East Africa.
Anti-graffiti coating solution manufacturers such as Sherwin-Williams could,
through partnerships, take advantage of
increasing investments in East Africa’s
road and rail sector to increase their share
of the African market. Recently the company unveiled the Protective & Marine
Anti-Graffiti Coating, which it said “
prevents graffiti from adhering to underlying
surfaces and allows unwelcome artwork
to be easily washed away.”
“It can help rail and transit companies remove — and prevent — graffiti to
preserve and enhance neighborhood aesthetics, foster pride in communities, and
promote healthy and safe environments
for residents and businesses,” the company said. CW
“Anti-grafitti coating solution
manufacturers, such as Sherwin-Williams
could, through partnerships, take
advantage of increasing investments in East
Africa’s road and rail sector to increase their
share of the African market. ”
