Kenya eyes Chinese investors to boost industrial drive

•The investors are expected bring advanced technology that will enable Kenya manufacture products that can compete international

•Kenya offers numerous opportunities for Chinese investors, particularly in textiles, electronics, agro-processing and leather industries

Jomvu MP Badi Twalib, Mombasa Governor Governor Abdulswamad Nassir and then Trade Cabinet Secretary Moses Kuria during the groundbreaking ceremony of the construction of Mombasa Aggregation and Industrial Park in Bonje in Jomvu Mombasa.

By Moses Muli

Published: January 11,2024 5:44 PM(EAT)

Kenya is keen to attract Chinese investors to boost the country’s industrial competitiveness, government officials said on Thursday.

Chinese investors are expected to bring advanced technology that will enable the country to manufacture products capable of competing in the international market, said Abubakar Hassan Abubakar, principal secretary at the State Department for Investment Promotion, in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya.

“We want to leverage Chinese expertise to diversify our industrial base, including products with high demand,” Abubakar said during an investor forum for the International Association of Science Parks.

The Chinese people have developed homegrown technologies that can be adopted by Kenyan industrialists to produce goods meeting local needs, he added.

Juma Mukhwana, principal secretary at the State Department for Industry, said that Kenya offers numerous opportunities for Chinese investors, particularly in textiles, electronics, agro-processing and leather industries.

He added that by establishing factories in Kenya, China will support the country’s dream of becoming the industrial hub of Africa.