Kenya is keen to partner with China to expand its industrial parks, a government official said last week.
“We see China as a partner that can help us revitalize the country’s manufacturing sector through building more industrial parks,” said Juma Mukhwana, principal secretary for the State Department of Industry in the Ministry of Investments, Trade and Industry, on the sidelines of the Kenya Geothermal Congress in the country’s capital of Nairobi.
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According to Mukhwana, the contribution of the manufacturing sector to the country’s economy declined to 7.6 percent in 2023 from 11 percent in 2011.
The two-day event brought together experts, policymakers, financiers, and investors in the geothermal sector from 20 African countries to enhance the use of renewable energy sources on the continent.
Mukhwana said the current demand for space in existing industrial zones exceeds the country’s capability to establish more industrial parks, and Kenya is keen to learn key lessons from China’s success in developing industrial zones.
The East African nation has identified industrial zones in each of the 47 counties that can utilize locally available raw materials for the production of finished goods. With China’s support, Kenya hopes to become Africa’s manufacturing hub, Mukhwana said.
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Kenya is keen to work with international partners, including Chinese investors, to build and operate industrial parks, he said, adding that collaboration with China is expected to attract manufacturers from the Asian nation to establish local operations with the aim of exporting to the international market.
