February 12, 2008
Opening Ceremony Held for New Olyset® Net Factory in Tanzania
Sumitomo Chemical Co., Ltd. (Sumitomo Chemical) has announced that a new factory
operated by the joint venture Vector Health International Limited (Vector Health) for themanufacture of Sumitomo Chemical’s Olyset® Net, an insecticide-impregnated mosquito
net for the prevention of malaria, held its opening ceremony on February 8th on site inArusha, Tanzania. The opening ceremony was attended by Dr. Ali Mohamed Shein, Vice
President of the United Republic of Tanzania, along with other African heads of state andgovernment figures as well as a number of representatives from the Japan Bank forInternational Cooperation (JBIC), which provided financing for the factory, internationalorganizations and related groups working in support of Africa’s autonomous development.
At present, over 500 million people become infected with malaria worldwide and morethan one million people lose their lives to the disease every year. Ninety percent of thesecases occur in Sub-Saharan Africa, where children under 5 years of age suffer a majority of
the fatalities. In addition, malaria is said to be responsible for an annual economic loss of
US$12 billion for the entire African continent, making the prevention of malaria vital toAfrica’s economic development.
Olyset® Net developed by Sumitomo Chemical is quite durable and retains its efficacy forover 5 years even with repeated washing. It is an economical and effective way of protecting
people from the mosquitoes that transmit malaria, and is therefore endorsed by the WHO.
In 2003, Sumitomo Chemical provided its Olyset® Net technology free of charge to
Tanzanian mosquito net manufacturer A to Z Textile Mills Limited (A to Z), beginning local
production of the nets in Africa. Since then, Sumitomo Chemical has been establishing
Olyset® Net production capabilities around the world in order to meet the growing demandfor its nets. Operation of the new factory by Vector Health, Sumitomo Chemical’s joint
venture with the A to Z group company Net Health Limited, will bring total worldwide annual
production capacity to approximately 30 million nets. In addition, with some 3,200 people
involved in the Olyset® Net operations in Tanzania, Sumitomo Chemical is helping tocontribute to the local economy and the creation of employment opportunities.
Support for African development is one of the most urgent challenges facing global
society today. This year, Japan will host the Fourth Tokyo International Conference on
African Development (TICAD IV) in May in Yokohama, and the G8 Summit (HokkaidoToyako Summit) in July. Through these events, Japan will be expected to play an evengreater role in calling on the international community to support Africa. From the perspectiveof corporate social responsibility (CSR), Sumitomo Chemical, in addition to providing its
Olyset® Nets, is supporting education in Africa through the construction of schools. Goingforward, Sumitomo Chemical, as a part of the private sector, will actively continue topromote initiatives in support of Africa’s autonomous development.

【Reference】
・Company name:・Location:
・Established:
・Paid-in capital:
・Shareholding:・Main business:
・Employees:
・President:

Vector Health International Limited
Arusha, United Republic of Tanzania
September 2005
US$1 million
Sumitomo Chemical Co., Ltd. 50%, Net Health Limited
50%
Manufacture and sale of Olyset® NetsApprox. 1,200
Anuj Shah