The commissioning of the US$110 million Kingsworth starch and glucose plant marks a major national milestone in Zambia's industrialisation drive through value addition, positioning the country as Africa's third-largest glucose producer.
President Hakainde Hichilema officially opened the Kingsworth starch and Glucose facility on 21 October 2025, hailing the US$110 million investment as a monumental step in the New Dawn administration’s mission to industrialise Zambia through value addition. The plant, situated in the Lusaka South Multi-Facility Economic Zone (MFEZ) and owned by the wholly Zambian-owned Trade Kings Group, immediately elevates the country’s manufacturing profile, making it the third-biggest producer of glucose in Africa, trailing only Egypt and South Africa.
The first phase of the cutting-edge liquid glucose and starch plant, which cost US$60 million, is now operational, with an additional US$50 million earmarked for the second phase. The facility is a significant contributor to local employment, having already created 1,000 sustainable jobs. At full operational capacity, the plant is projected to require over 126,000 tonnes of maize annually from local Zambian farmers, creating a massive, reliable market linkage between Agriculture and industry. This backward integration provides a powerful model for the country's economic diversification and job creation strategy.
Speaking at the official opening, President Hichilema emphasised that the Kingsworth facility is concrete proof of his government’s commitment to matching policy talk with tangible action.
“The value of this plant needs to be celebrated. Today signifies a national milestone in our quest to industrialise our country through value addition,” President Hichilema stated. “What we are experiencing here is matching the talk – we are delivering. We are walking the talk.”
The President underscored the plant’s contribution to job creation, noting the broader impact of the Trade Kings Group.
“The significance of the glucose and starch plant cannot be over-emphasised, especially that it has created thousands of sustainable jobs. When you talk of the Trade Kings Group, they have created 17,000 jobs and that is not a joke. These are the investments we need from a Zambian group investing in the country,” he affirmed.
The Head of State stressed that while investors like the Trade Kings Group are doing their part, the government must continually ensure a conducive business environment.
“Our job is to make the investment environment continually very attractive. Government will continue to support what Trade Kings and other businesses are doing in the country,” President Hichilema said before touring the nearby Bigtree Beverages and Trade Kings factories within the MFEZ.
