Basil David Anthony, a young internationally recognized award-winning Ghanaian-British business personality, is making bold steps to enter the Ugandan flooring market.
Basil is exhibiting his products at the 3rd edition of the Uganda Buildcon International Expo, the biggest building and construction industry tradeshow of the year, which kicked off today, Thursday, August 8 and will run up to Saturday, August 10, 2024, at UMA Show Grounds in Lugogo, Kampala.
The Expo running under the theme “Connect with the construction industry to build a better tomorrow” was officiated by Hon Judith Nabakooba, the Minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development and representatives from the Uganda Manufactures Association (UMA).
Day one of the expo is focusing on the Architecture, Building, Construction, Design and Engineering Sectors.
Basil who is passionate about creating value, innovation, and growth in the flooring industry and beyond, is showcasing his plastic tiles in a move to revolutionise the Ugandan flooring market.
“Our plastic tiles are modern, durable and can be easily transported. They are not as expensive as real wooden tiles yet they give you the same look and feel,” he told journalists on Thursday.
“We want you to take a picture in your room and it comes out pleasant, exquisite and beautiful.”
Basil, 38, founded Modern Floors, a UK-trademarked flooring brand that wholesales and retails high-quality and affordable Artificial Carpet Grass, AstroTurf, Vinyl (PVC/SPC) Tiles (LVT), Carpet Tiles, Adhesives, Waterproofing and other indoor and outdoor flooring products, to address this gap.
According to him, Asians have bombarded Africa with so much normal tiling yet the climate, for example in East Africa, does not do very well with ceramic tiles.
“It is very slippery, puts a lot of weight on buildings and makes construction expensive. That is why we came up with the alternative of plastic tiles.”
He believes that East Africa is rising and growing while West Africa, once an economic powerhouse, is sinking.
At UMA, Basil is exhibiting about 16 new colours of tiles (some of which he says are named after his children) as he looks for people in the construction industry, retailers, and distributors who are interested in this flooring as opposed to traditional flooring that uses marble tiles.
“I’m not just planning to invest in Uganda but also creating a connection. We are looking for partners that will support us. We understand the business landscape, so we are looking for partners willing to share our brand so that they can open a modern floors showroom in Uganda.”
He added: “We have done this for close to 8 years, we have the blueprint. Anybody who is going to do this business will not start from scratch, we are handing you a blueprint. The dos and don’ts are already there. The basic structure is already there so it is easy for someone who wants to do this to move faster.”
Since launching, Basil has expanded his brand to more than 10 countries in Africa, the Middle East, Asia and Europe with both online and physical distribution channels, and an Amazon-approved brand distribution.
His company Modern Floors has opened four showrooms in Ghana and also led various social impact initiatives, such as feeding and refreshing over 200 children, supporting deprived girls in Ghana and empowering both male and female artisans through skill-based training.
The company is headquartered in Dubai within the busiest building construction material and home decor hub in the United Arab Emirates.