File photo shows workers count the ceramic tiles at Twyford Ceramics in Kajiado County, Kenya, May 12, 2017. (Xinhua/Sun Ruibo)
NAIROBI, Nov. 22 (Xinhua) -- Kenya is seeking to leverage on Chinese manufacturers setting up base in Kenya in order to boost exports, a senior government official has said.
Peter Munya, cabinet secretary for industry, trade and cooperatives told a trade forum in Nairobi on Tuesday that Kenya welcomes Chinese companies to invest in manufacturing and value addition in order to boost Kenyan exports.
A trade mission from China's Anhui Province is currently visiting Kenya to explore business opportunities with the East African nation. According to Munya, there are more than 400 Chinese companies in Kenya.
"But we need many more Chinese firms especially in the manufacturing sector," he said.
The Kenyan official said the government is working tirelessly on improving the investment climate which has witnessed an unprecedented improvement in the World Bank's Ease of Doing Business Index with Kenya's rank moving from 136 in 2014 to 61 in this year's ranking.
Munya said that the government will support Chinese investors to do business in the country, noting that the large Chinese business delegation is an indication of their willingness to partner with Kenya in line with China's Belt and Road Initiative.
He said that Kenya is prioritizing expansion of market access for locally manufactured goods in order to lure more foreign investors to set up operations in the country.
Early this year, Kenya signed the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), said Munya. According to the African Union, 44 African countries have signed the AfCFTA as of March 2018.
He said that once it is operational it will bring together 54 countries with a combined population of over one billion and a gross domestic product of approximately 349 trillion Kenya shillings (about 3.4 trillion U.S. dollars).
Munya said that trade and investment play a significant role in the country's growth and development through linkages to all sectors of the economy.
Li Xuhang, charge d'affaires at the Chinese Embassy in Kenya said that the Chinese government is encouraging its business community to invest in Kenya, adding that Kenya is also an important country in the Belt and Road Initiative and industrial cooperation.
He noted that Kenya is the gateway into East Africa due to its excellent geographic location as well as stable political and economic environment.
The diplomat noted that President Uhuru Kenyatta's Big Four Agenda on affordable housing, universal healthcare, food security and manufacturing also provides opportunities for Chinese investors.
The envoy observed that China has become a major force for Kenya's economic development because the Chinese enterprises operating in Kenya have created over 150,000 job opportunities for locals over the years.
Li said that over the years, Sino-Kenya relationship has been developing rapidly through improved mutual trust, pragmatic cooperation as well as growing people-to-people exchanges.
Zhou Xi'an, Deputy Governor of Anhui Province said that investors from his province are keen to invest in Kenya due to the strong complementarity between Kenya and China.
Betty Maina, principal secretary at Kenya's ministry of industry, trade and cooperatives said Chinese companies will help Kenya to meet its industrialization agenda of expanding the contribution of the manufacturing sector to the economy.
