Kenya: Manufacturers Call for Export-Led Industrialisation for Sustained Economic Growth

Nairobi — Manufacturers have called on the government to prioritize export-led industrialization for sustained economic growth.

This was during the rollout of the annual Kenya Association of Manufacturers (KAM) Manufacturing Priority Agenda (MPA), themed, “Manufacturing sector recovery and sustained growth for Kenya’s shared prosperity.”

Speaking during the launch, Cabinet Secretary, Ministry of Industrialization, Trade and Enterprise Development Betty Maina noted that Government continues to engage the business community to improve competitiveness.

“Following engagements with businesses over the years, we have made tremendous strides in enhancing our trade and industrialization capacity as a nation. One of the key initiatives has been preferential procurement for locally manufactured goods by Government to increase consumption of Kenyan goods and services,” said Maina.

Principal Secretary, Ministry of East African Community and Regional Integration Kevit Desai highlighted the need for collaboration, to transform the economy, “It is essential for all relevant stakeholders to work jointly to transform and propel growth within the various sectors of the economy.

“The Government shall remain focused on creating policies and legislations that support the sustained growth of the manufacturing sector,” said Desai.

IMF Representative, Tobias Rasmussen noted that whilst Kenya has made significant strides to improve the trade environment, the country’s volume of exports remains low.

“Kenya’s export performance has been relatively stagnant, particularly for manufactured goods, even before the pandemic. Reversing this trend calls for export dynamism by Kenyan manufacturers. This entails enhancing the adoption of technologies to enhance the quality of Kenyan products, increasing value addition and product sophistication,” he said.

KAM Chairman, Mucai Kunyiha noted that competitiveness is the only foundation on which we can build a sustainable manufacturing industry that delivers value to consumers.

“To build a strong manufacturing sector, we need to focus on export markets, which requires us to be competitive. Competitiveness enhances a nation’s capacity to create productive jobs, decent wages and consequently, a dependable social support system for its population.”