The Republic of Kenya has become a leading star of the East African community through successful political, structural and economic reforms that have resulted in sustained economic and social development.
Endowed with rich natural resources, dynamic private sector, improved infrastructure, skilled young workforce, and an expanding industrial, agricultural and services base, Kenya has the potential to be one of Africa’s success stories.
Our editor Ms Sheila Sudhakaran had a free wheeling interview with Her Excellency Mrs Florence Imisa Weche, High commissioner of Kenya in New Delhi. Several topics like economic imperatives and road map to development of the country, India-Kenya economic partnership, etc came up during the course of the interview. An excerpt of the interview is given below:
Qn. Excellency, now that political stability is restored in Kenya, what will be the economic priorities of the leadership of your country to improve Kenya’s economic growth?
Ans The Kenya Government has identified four key pillars to achieve economic growth. Food and Nutrition Security, Manufacturing, Affordable Healthcare and Affordable Housing have been spelt out by H. E. President Uhuru Kenyatta as areas of critical focus in the next five years. Modalities are being rolled out for fast-tracking our growth in these sectors. Not to be forgotten are other important areas such as Energy, Infrastructure, ICT and Skilling, which are crucial to achieving the desired development.
Qn. It is a well-known fact that Kenya has enormous potential in agriculture. What are the challenges that prevent Kenya from achieving optimum agricultural productivity?
Ans We have continued to depend on rain-fed agriculture. Irrigated and mechanized agriculture is the way to go. Particular attention must be given to inputs such as seeds and fertilizers as well as farmer support, supply chain management, storage, processing, packaging and marketing. In other words, all the forward and backward linkages are key. How can ICT, available and affordable financing, appropriate insurance and contract farming contribute to agricultural production? How can we make farming an enjoyable engagement for our youth? These are other areas we must address.
India has made great strides in agriculture, moving from food deficiency to Surplus. However, a lot of produce is still lost along the value chain. Kenya could draw lessons and support from India.
The Kenya Government recently received a Line of Credit of USD 100m for mechanization which should bolster agricultural production once rolled out.
Qn. ICT application has helped Indian agriculture. Do you see any scope for collaboration in this sector?
Ans. ICT permeates each and every sector of development globally. Agriculture is not left behind in this respect. Availability of information to farmers real time with regard seed, fertilizers, weather forecasts, soils, available markets and prices as well as rolling out of necessary financing and research are key areas where ICT would play a crucial role. We could borrow a leaf from India which is already ahead in embedding ICT in Agriculture.
Qn. Which are the potential areas in the manufacturing sector where Kenya is looking for investment and technology?
Ans. Kenya aims to increase manufacturing to 20% of GDP by 2022. We currently stand at 9.2%. Areas, where there are great opportunities in investments and transfer of skills, include
– Agro processing
– Textiles and apparels
– Leather
– Construction materials
– Oil, Mining and Gas
– Iron and Steel
– ICT
We have industrial parks and zones where investors can produce for export to Africa following the signing of the African Continent Free Trade Area Agreement and to the rest of the world. Manufacturing should spur the creation of jobs as well as nurture entrepreneurship especially with regard to our youth.
Qn. In the health care sector, what are the opportunities?
Ans. Many Kenyans travel to India annually to seek medical attention. We need to bring these services closer to the Kenyan people. The Government is currently equipping its hospitals with modern equipment as it rolls out the universal health care programme.
Capacity building for doctors, nurses, paramedics and personnel to operate equipment is key. India should be able to help immensely in this area, given its vast experience. Research in the medical field is also another area of collaboration. We seek also to set up pharmaceutical industries to produce appropriate and affordable medicine for local use and for export.
Qn. There have been a lot of discussions at the private sector and at the official level of co-operation in capacity building in skilling development. How far has it progressed?
Ans. As earlier mentioned, we want the manufacturing sector to get to 20% by 2022. To achieve this, we need to skill our youth to work in industries and also to become entrepreneurs in the own right. Kenya and India have a huge youth bulge. Youth if empowered financially and equipped with necessary skills could contribute significantly in the manufacturing and other sectors. Kenya is on the right trajectory with regard to training and skilling and would like to learn from India, as well as share experiences in this regard.
Qn. Which are the other platforms where India and Kenya can join hands?
Ans. Leaders of both our countries have agreed to work and collaborate under the Indian Ocean Rim Initiative of the Blue economy. The leadership of Kenya and India are indeed focused on this trillion dollar sector which should transform the livelihoods of the Littoral States of the Indian Ocean if exploited equitably and sustainably. The Kenya Government will host in November 2018 a Conference on the Blue Economy where pertinent matters including security and exploitation will be discussed.
Qn. How will the US-China trade war play out in Africa in general and Kenya in particular?
Ans. It has to be borne in mind that China has emerged as a big player in Africa, be it in infrastructure development, trade, processing or investment. Their presence is increasing steadily. They have a long term vision about the true potential of Africa. Going by the sheer size – geographical and resource strength – Africa is the future centre of growth. No one can ignore this continent of immense potential
