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NAIROBI, July 10 (Xinhua) – Kenya plans to promote the
manufacturing sector to boost exports, a government
official said Tuesday.
Chris Kiptoo, Principal Secretary, Ministry of Commerce and
Industry, told reporters in Nairobi that the majority of
trade concerns manufactured products and not raw materials.
"In order to promote exports, we must increase the capacity of
the manufacturing sector by increasing its share of GDP
Product ten percent to twenty percent, "Kiptoo said at a news conference.
press conference on the upcoming Kenya Trade Week to be held
place from July 29th to August 1st.
The second edition of Kenya Trade Week will feature
Kenya has in stock both for the domestic market and for export.
Kiptoo said the manufacturing sector's share of GDP
stagnated in recent years due to a number of challenges such
as high production cost.
He noted that the government is undertaking a number of reforms
including lowering the cost of electricity in order to make Kenya a
a globally competitive manufacturing destination.
The Principal Secretary stated that Kenya's traditional exports
markets have been in the East African region. "However, local
manufacturers are facing fierce competition that has reduced the
Kenya's exports, "he added.
Kiptoo observed that Kenya plans to take advantage of the
many bilateral and multilateral trade agreements signed
diversify export markets.
"We also want to push more exports to lucrative markets such as
Ethiopia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Nigeria and Angola,
it's noted.
The representative of the Government stated that Kenya prioritizes
manufacturing because of its ability to provide many jobs
Opportunities.
He said that the government has set itself the goal of creating more than 1.3
millions of jobs in the next five years through access to
key strategic markets in Africa, Europe and the United States.
Peter Biwott, CEO of the Export Promotion Council (EPC),
said the national trade policy will guide Kenya to transform
in an economy driven by exports.
Biwott stated that the policy will provide a vital link between
the country's efforts to promote investment and trade
development.
Biwott said Kenya's share of world trade is very low
compared to its potential as exports grow faster than
imports.
The export agency said the key to double-digit growth of
exports is the added value of raw materials that are easily
available in Kenya especially in the agricultural and mineral sector
sectors.
Biwott said that at the present time, export processing zones
most of the country's manufactured exports.
"However, in order to further increase exports, we will
use special economic zones to increase the capacity of
added.
He noted that special economic zones provide infrastructure
facilities needed to attract foreign direct investment.
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