Sameer Africa Limited, under the name Firestone East Africa (1969) Limited, was established in Kenya in 1969 by Firestone Tyre and Rubber Company of the USA and the Government Kenya to produce tyres for the East African market. Sameer Investments Limited, a Kenyan company, later purchased a signific… read moreant part of the shareholding from Firestone Tyre and Rubber Company.
In 1988, when Bridgestone Corporation purchased Firestone Tyre & Rubber Company, Sameer Investments Limited retained its shareholding in Firestone East Africa 1969 Limited and the company was listed on the Nairobi Stock Exchange in 1995.
The company’s corporate identity changed to Sameer Africa Limited in April 2005. This change created an independent tyre producer based in Kenya that aims to supply the East African and COMESA markets.
With a technical capability developed over 43 years of producing tyres in Kenya, the company is now able to produce a comprehensive range of tyres to meet customers’ needs in Africa. Sameer Africa’s product range currently includes: passenger textile and steel belted radials, 4×4 tyres, light truck radial and bias, truck and bus, agricultural, industrial and Off-The-Road tyres under the brand name, Yana. Sameer Africa produces both tube type and tubeless tyres and also produces tubes and flaps.
The Yana brand, officially launched in November 2005 in Nairobi, is Sameer Africa’s own brand that aims to be a pan- African tyre brand. This brand is backed by leading tyre technology, and the local development and production is engineered to meet the challenging driving conditions in Africa.
Sameer Africa Limited also distributes the world renowned Bridgestone tyres in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda and Burundi. Indeed, Bridgestone Japan still retains a significant equity shareholding in Sameer Africa Limited of approximately 15%.