Over 200 exhibitors in the manufacturing sector from Africa ,Asia and Europe have converged in Nairobi Kenya, for the 8th Edition of the Agro-Food Pack Exhibition.
This annual event, renowned for contributing to the agro-food and packaging industries , is been hosted by Dubai based MXM Exhibitors, it will take place for three days as it seeks to connect local farmers to the best agricultural technology.
Manufacturing in Kenya is a robust sector contributing 7.6% to the GDP.
It is the second, after the public sector, which has over 900,000 jobs, while manufacturing has 363,000 jobs contributing 18% to the taxes. So 360 billion, and it has interlinkages with other sectors.
The Chief Executive Officer ,Kenya Association of Manufacturers, Mr Antony Mwangi noted that there is a need to grow from 7.6% to 20% by 2030 Or else there will be a crisis of jobs and the economy will not perform optimally. As there are a million people joining the job market every year.
He also added that the manufacturing sector remains the most under leveraged area urging the government to reduce the bureaucracy in the sector
Kenya has open markets in the EU, the AFCTA therefore , it has access to 50% of the global value chain of global GDP, but
It’s not producing enough.
Stakeholders in the sector are urging the government to come up with a new and working industrial policy that will help to accelerate growth .
As the manufacturing sector is striving to grow, stakeholders noted that there are some challenges being faced such as post COVID , climate change and the Finance bill which keeps changing yearly.
In order to curb the issue of the finance bill ,Kajiado county is trying to make sure that it doesn’t impact manufacturers, or even the people who are doing business.
They are urging the government to change the bill, after two years or even three years, so that business can stabilize.
Mr Dickson Sitei CEO of Kajiado Investment Authority, has urged investors to invest in the country and in Kajiado as it has been growing over the years and is a potential area for economic growth.
The area has experienced a migration rate of 90%.
