Nyanza rising towards economic transformation

The inaugural Nyanza International Investment Conference (NIIC), which seeks to promote economic growth and development in the Nyanza region of Kenya, is set for February 6-8, 2025 at the Ciala Resort in Kisumu.

The conference, themed “Nyanza Rising: Towards Economic Transformation for Socio-Economic Growth and Development”, addresses the urgent need for the region and its people to trigger growth and development. The event will bring together all actors and provide an opportunity for the region’s leaders, professionals, and international, national, and local stakeholders, to present the region’s economic endowment and investment-ready opportunities to potential local and foreign investors.

Specific Conference Objectives

• To provide investors with information on Nyanza region’s development needs, status, gaps and potential to support their investment decisions.
• To market off-plan investment opportunities, and investible concepts and sectors.
• To expand the existing economic value chains in the region through new capital flows and other investments across sectors, using vehicles such as partnerships, mergers, joint ventures, and global Sub-contracting and Partnership Exchange platforms (SPX).
• To attract strategic investment enabler support from the Government of Kenya (GoK), Development Partners (DPs), Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), Special Interest Economic Groups (SIEGs) and Multinationals in Shared Value Investing.

Thematic Areas

• Infrastructure, transport, energy and housing
• Mining, offshore oil, and gas production.
• Lake water and wind energy production.
• Opportunities for development of affordable housing.
• Lake transport.
• Road infrastructure development.
• Ship building, piers, ports, eco-ships and new maritime transport systems development.
• Maritime security systems development.

Notable Opportunities in Key Sectors

Agriculture, Food Security, Nutrition and Health

• Agricultural crop production.
• Fish processing and packaging.
• Aquaculture farming.
• Mariculture and spirulina farming.
• Warehousing and transportation infrastructures for agro-based production.
• Agro-processing and market access.
• Specialised health facilities and private sector-driven healthcare services.

Irrigation, Climate Change, Environment and Waste Management

• Sustainable harnessing of water resources and provision of adequate water and sanitation in infrastructure.
• Irrigation.
• Agroforestry for livelihoods and climate change management.
• Circularity concepts for waste minimisation.

 Education, Tourism, Sports and the Creative Economy

• Maritime tourism and ecotourism.
• Tourist facilities.
• Water sports.
• Specialised TVET Institutions.

 Technologies and Innovation for the Blue Economy

• Blue technology enablers.
• Programming and applications.
• Expanding partnerships to strengthen the digital ecosystems.
• ICT-oriented training institutions offering the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) technologies.

 Research, Development and Regulatory framework

• Freshwater bioprospecting and biotechnology for health products manufacturing.
• Conservation through extension education for sustainable blue economy.
• Standards and protocols for investment in the Blue Economy.
• Policies and regulations to enhance investment in aquaculture.

Diaspora Engagement Framework

• The critical role that the Diaspora plays in the development of the Lake Region.
• Remittance in development through trade and foreign direct investment, businesses, entrepreneurship.

The conference will offer opportunities in the form of commercial and development investment projects that are of impact to the local communities, county governments, the National Government and investors in various solicited and unsolicited opportunities.

Consisting of six counties and home to approximately seven million people who derive socio-economic livelihoods from the rich natural resource bases in the region, Nyanza’s per capita Gross County Product is estimated to average KSh190,000 (US$1,267), thus demonstrating some potential spending power that could grow further up amid increased opportunities.

For more information, contact:
Japh Olende, Conference Chair, NIIC Email: conference@ nyanzaiic.org, Tel: +254 (0) 720 622 402 OR Conference Administrator, Email: [email protected] Website: https://nyanzaiic.org/