In Uganda’s evolving story of progress, one man’s quiet determination has transformed molten metal into a foundation of national pride. Dr. Sikander Lalani, founder of Roofings Group, stands as one of the most influential industrialists in the country, a visionary who saw possibility in the clang of steel long before Uganda’s manufacturing renaissance began.
Trained as a pathologist, Dr. Lalani’s journey into industry began in 1994 with a small workshop in Lubowa, producing simple roofing sheets. Thirty years later, that humble beginning has grown into Roofings Group, a multi-million-dollar enterprise with advanced manufacturing plants in Lubowa, Namanve, and Lweza. His factories now employ over 3,000 Ugandans, producing everything from galvanized iron sheets and wire products to PVC pipes and hollow steel sections.
Every beam, bar, and pipe that rolls out of Roofings’ furnaces carries a story of craftsmanship, perseverance, and a belief in Uganda’s ability to produce for itself. At the US$150 million Roofings Rolling Mills in Namanve, Japanese and German technologies hum in harmony, turning raw metal into the skeleton of modern Uganda. These products now reach markets in Kenya, Rwanda, Burundi, South Sudan, and the DRC, positioning Uganda as a reliable supplier of industrial materials across East Africa.
For Dr. Lalani, success has always meant more than profit. He often says that industrialisation begins with people, not machines. His company invests heavily in training young Ugandan engineers, partnering with Makerere University and Kyambogo University to nurture technical talent. Many of Roofings’ engineers and supervisors began as interns, a quiet testament to his belief that factories are classrooms where the nation’s human capital is refined.
Equally defining is his commitment to sustainability. Industrial growth often comes with environmental costs, but Roofings has taken a different path. Its Namanve plant runs closed-loop water recycling systems, air filtration units, and energy-efficient furnaces that reflect a rare harmony between progress and preservation. Dr. Lalani has shown that Uganda can industrialize responsibly; that steel and sustainability can coexist.
“We don’t compete with others,” Dr. Lalani once said. “We compete with our own standards, to make something today that will still matter tomorrow.”
His approach is devoid of political noise or flamboyant visibility. Instead, he lets performance and precision speak. Through decades of consistency, he has become a quiet architect of Uganda’s Vision 2040 dream, a self-sustaining economy built on production, not import dependency.
As evening falls over Namanve Industrial Park, the lights of Roofings glow like embers of ambition. Inside, steel flows and sparks dance, echoing the spirit of a nation that is learning to build from within. What began as one man’s pursuit of excellence has become the heartbeat of an industry and a symbol of resilience for a rising nation.
Dr. Sikander Lalani’s legacy is not written in speeches. It is welded, rolled, and galvanized into the strength of Uganda itself.
