Swiss Clariant Oil services seeks Kenyan Partner

Swiss owned multinational oil services company Clariant is seeking to enter the Kenyan market through a local partner. Head of oil services in Africa Nick Kenlay has told media 1st that talks are in the early stages with a local subsidiary of KEMIA international a pharmaceutical and chemistry company, with hopes to forge a partnership and establish contact years before oil production starts. This follows continued success in the exploration of oil in Turkana by British firm Tullow and now this optimism has attracted renewed interest in the country with the newest entrant being the Swiss Multinational Clariant Oil and mining services. According to the company’s head of Africa the multinational is in the process of getting a local partner that will enable it gain entrance into the market and that will further enable the company to start production of the necessary chemicals needed for oil production should the exploration bear fruit. Among benefits that the partnership could bring include much needed training in the sector with Clariant saying the country lacks the needed chemist, chemical and petroleum engineers. The company that specializes in maximizing and reducing cost in production says its presence will also result to research into the needed chemicals as an outcome of tests on quality of oil, water salt and gas levels in the oil currently ongoing. KEMIA is in the short term expected to act as the legal operating entity. Clariant also says it will be entering into partnerships with other local entities especially in logistics to ensure constant uninterrupted flow of inputs and needed chemicals once a local subsidiary is created. It is however unclear the kind of partnership Clariant is seeking from kenya's KEMIA. Should the talks succeed Kenya will join the likes of Angola, Nigeria, Sudan, South Sudan, Uganda, Libya, Ethiopia and Namibia where the firm has a presence.