The country is already attracting a multitude of global investors and over the past 12 months, we have seen a rise in interest in the agribusiness, ICT, apparel and textiles, leather, renewable energy, property, tourism and logistics sectors.

 

To further build on this interest, KIICO 2015 will highlight these key growth areas as well as find solutions to challenges hindering faster growth in investment. The theme is 'Think Investment - Make It Kenya'.

 

The main focus area for the conference will be renewable energy. The opportunities to invest in sector are manifold, including wind, solar, biomass, geothermal, hydro, and bio-gas. Kenya plans to increase installed capacity by 5,000MW in the next three years with renewable energy sources being the main contributors.

 

Access to cheap energy has played a major role in the growth of businesses, industrialisation and consequent economic development of nations. The energy sector continues to grow by leaps and bounds in recent years, with installed electricity capacity increasing from 1,600MW in 2009 to 2,298MW in 2015. The government plans to increase this generation capacity to 23,000MW by 2030. A critical component of this sector is renewable energy.

 

Currently, Kenya's installed generation capacity is produced through geothermal sources at 46.4 per cent, hydro at 38.1 per cent, thermal at 14.8 per cent and wind at 0.4 per cent. By 2030, the government expects the mix to be 26 per cent geothermal, 19 per cent nuclear, 13 per cent coal, 11 per cent LNG, nine per cent wind, nine per cent thermal, and five per cent hydro.

 

This will create new less expensive energy sources that are more diversified and less reliant on good rainfall for production. The increased investment and growth over the last decade in the renewable energy will increase economic development by providing more access and lower energy costs.

 

Increased investments into renewable energy sources, and innovations in technology are driving energy accessibility, which will in turn slash the costs of running businesses. Moreover, the government's commitment to ensuring energy access for the majority of Kenyans is a strong driving force.

 

Currently, only 32 per cent of Kenyans are connected to the grid. The government has rolled out various electrification programmes to connect 70 per cent of the population to the grid by 2017. In addition, efforts are being made to reduce the cost of energy by between 25 and 30 per cent to stimulate the manufacturing and the industrial sectors.

 

The government has also created a conducive environment through favourable regulatory frameworks such as the National Energy and Petroleum Policy, the provision of tax holidays to investors, and the 2008 Feed-in Tariff Policy. These factors have created the necessary conditions for exponential growth in the sector.

 

Hosted by the Ministry of East African Affairs, Commerce and Tourism through the Kenya Investment Authority, and various partners, the conference will bring together business leaders, local and international investors, entrepreneurs and personalities from the business world to share, discuss and take up investment opportunities in Kenya.

 

With a streamlined sector focus for this year's KIICO; alongside an informative agenda touching on cross-sector topics and issues, we expect to see a high uptake of investment opportunities in 2015 and beyond to contribute to the country's positive FDI growth momentum.

 

To join the debate, we encourage local and international investors, exhibitors and media to register now at kiico.co.ke. Let us also know your specific interests and the business people or policy makers you would like to meet during the conference so that we can facilitate.

Source : allafrica.com