Manufacturers set new priority agenda for 2015

Kenya’s industrialization will work with the Government to deliver an integrated skills and training system across the local areas driven by the needs of the economy and led by the private sector, giving local business the skilled labour they need to grow.

Government policy has been developed as a framework to synchronize and coordinate the various policies, strategies and activities within Kenya’s industrialization process.

The National industrialization policy recognizes that Kenya is primarily agricultural based economy with fairly skilled human resource base and strategically located to serve as a regional industrial hub. The Country is also endowed with natural resources that can be tapped through value addition for the benefit of the whole country.

The policy endeavors to address issues affecting the industrial sector by including broad-based strategies that would provide the sector with meaningful opportunities to realize its full potential. The policy provides a broad framework within which all stakeholders, including the public sector, private sector, and civil society and development partners will contribute to industrial development. An implementation mechanism is inbuilt in this policy.

During the Devolution forum at the Kenya Association of Manufacturers (KAM), Ms. Betty Maina, KAM CEO affirmed that economic aspects affecting both trade and the business environment take on different hues because sometimes it gains importance and other times retreats in the background in light of more pertinent issues.

Kenya’s industrialization road map wants to achieve more than 7% growth this year because it is action oriented.

“Good things are coming on the ground and by 2017 there will be a lot of stability in the country. As potential Kenyan Manufacturers, we need to consult before doing some implementation because we need growth”. Said George Ooko.

The coalition Government will create one million new industrialization job market to develop Kenya into an industrial hub. The country has a greater opportunity to build a network of competitive industrial parks and invest in industrial skills for the future economy. Attracting local capital and foreign direct investment and creating a multi-purpose development fund for manufacturers is also a plus to the Kenyan economy.