Nairobi Governor, Johnston Sakaja has stated that the county government is ready to equip the Nairobi aggregation park.
Speaking during the recently concluded Innovate Nairobi TechWeek organized by the County Government, the governor said, “About the aggregation Park, we will buy equipment.”
He noted that Nairobi is not majorly a farming county, but insisted that its ‘cash crop’ is brains. Sakaja encouraged Nairobi residents to keep innovating saying it is the only way the economy of the county will be steered to enourmous growth.
“Cash crop ya Nairobi si mawaru, ni brains (Nairobi’s cash crop is not potatoes, but brains), let’s keep innovating.”
During the tech week, attendees delved into subjects of personal and professional interest from discussions on Web3 and cybersecurity to tackling the pressing issue of climate change through technology. Also, the event explored the realms of investment, startup policy, education, agriculture, health, media and creative economy, hardware and robotics, smart city solutions, fintech and digital inclusion.
The Ministry of Investments, Trade and Industry (MITI), in collaboration with the Council of Governors (COG), had unveiled the ambitious initiative to revolutionize Kenya’s agricultural landscape through the establishment of the County Aggregation and Industrial Parks (CAIPs).
“The CAIPs project aims to catalyze economic growth, job creation, and value addition within the agricultural sector, all while promoting a bottom-up economic transformation agenda,” according to the ministry.
The CAIPs initiative is grounded in a farmer-centric and export-oriented approach, designed to harness Kenya’s abundant agricultural resources and channel them into global markets.
This groundbreaking endeavour is set to empower small-scale farmers and producers across the nation by facilitating the aggregation, marketing and export of produce.
Through the CAIPs, the government aims to bolster national agro-processing capabilities, elevate farmer income, generate employment opportunities, mitigate post-harvest losses, establish a county-to-county commodity exchange (KOMEX), and streamline the export of Kenyan produce.
The heart of the CAIPs concept lies in the creation of clusters of independent aggregation centres strategically located within each county. These centres will leverage economies of scale to facilitate the bulk purchasing and selling of diverse agricultural products.
With a minimum of four manufacturing sheds spanning 4,000 square meters each, the CAIPs will usher in localized manufacturing capabilities to all 47 counties.
Additionally, each CAIP will feature a 4,000-square-meter Aggregation Center equipped with cutting-edge cold storage facilities, thereby curbing post-harvest losses.
The Council of Governors, in partnership with the State Department for Industry, issued a tender notice inviting sealed bids for the construction of Proposed County Aggregation & Industrial Parks across various counties.
The counties included in this initial phase are Busia, Embu, Garissa, Homa Bay, Kirinyaga, Meru, Mombasa, Murang’a, Nakuru, Nandi, Nyamira, Siaya, Uasin Gishu, and Migori.
This marks a pivotal moment in Kenya’s economic development trajectory as these CAIPs are poised to become vital hubs of agricultural growth, innovation, and prosperity.
The CAIPs initiative is anticipated to not only uplift local farmers and producers but also propel Kenya’s agricultural sector onto the global stage.