Just a week after the government announced plans to build a Ksh17million leather factory in Athi River, a strong delegation is currently in Turkey to woo investors to the sector deemed crucial to helping the country tame the swelling rates of unemployment.
Cabinet Secretary for Industrialization and Enterprise Development Adan Mohamed is leading the team in Turkey and is set to meet investors as well as industrialists to market the country as a perfect investor destination. Speaking when he met the president of the Turkey Leather Industries Association Mr Erdal Matras, the CS noted that, “Kenya is offering a world class investment location with the proposed Leather Zone and we encourage global players based in Turkey to invest in Kenya.”
The investor session was attended by a 30 member strong delegation of investors in tanning, footwear, garments and saddlery from Turkey. The Cabinet Secretary is accompanied on the trip by the Export Processing Zones Authority (EPZA) officials, MPs and Kenya’s Ambassador to Turkey and former Mutitu MP, Kiema Kilonzo.
Once revived, the sector is likely to create over 1.5 million jobs. Initial plans have been put in place and the sector is ready for take-off with the planned Athi River leather factory being one of the measures the government has put in place.
“We are giving land and infrastructure to investors and it will be prudent if all tanneries located across the country come to Athi River where infrastructure will be shared hence killing uncertainties about the future of the leather industry,” the CS was quoted saying during announcement of the plan to build the leather factory.
The ground-breaking ceremony is slated for February and the government is urging investors to get a slice of the land and in turn help spur development in the sector.
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