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Private company

AECI Limted

South African chemicals group

AECI (officially AECI Limited) is a South African mining and chemicals group, headquartered in Sandton, and listed on the JSE Limited. Founded in 1896, the company operates in 20 countries, and has manufacturing facilities across 6 continents. It is one of South Africa's largest corporations by annual revenue.2 Wikipedia text CC BY-SA 4.0

Last updated Oct 21, 2026.

Overview

1924Founded1
  • IndustryManufacture of explosives, chemical industry1
  • HeadquartersJohannesburg1
  • Websitewww.aeci.co.za

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AECI (officially AECI Limited) is a South African mining and chemicals group, headquartered in Sandton, and listed on the JSE Limited.2

The story

The company was registered as African Explosives and Industries (AE&I) in 1924, with its headquarters in Johannesburg. It was formed as the result of a merger between the South African interests of Nobel Industries of the United Kingdom and the manufacturing arm of De Beers Consolidated Diamond Mines of Kimberley.

The company's primary purpose was to provide blasting explosives and detonators to South African gold and diamond mines but AE&I was also the only South African producer of phosphatic fertilizer. In 1944 the company was renamed as African Explosives and Chemical Industries (AECI).

AECI listed on the JSE Limited in 1966.

From Wikipedia’s article on AECI, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.3

Products and brands

AECI has 4 major divisions:

Mining (with over 80 commodities mined, including iron ore, platinum, gold, and coal)

Chemicals (predominantly focused on South Africa)

Property and Corporate Services

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Managed Businesses for Divestment

The majority of the group's revenue comes from South Africa, where most of its employees and board members are based.

Other countries of operations include Botswana, Zambia, Ghana, Australia, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Brazil, Chile, and Peru.

From Wikipedia’s article on AECI, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.3

Timeline

  1. 1924Founded Founded1

Sources

The numbers on this page point here. Each one links to the record it came from.

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