Ministry of Information, Communication and the Digital Economy Cabinet Secretary (CS) Eliud Owalo has assured investors of Konza Technopolis that the government is committed to deliver on the Konza project as part of its digital economy agenda.
The Kenya Kwanza government aims to support the project by fast-tracking the enactment of the Konza Bill and giving investors tax-incentives on construction materials to accelerate the development of the project’s vertical infrastructure.
While reiterating that Konza Technopolis will start manufacturing affordable smartphones and computer software soon, Owalo said that the government has already invested heavily in the project and is committed to develop the smart city to world-class levels.
Speaking during the Annual Investors Conference at Konza Technopolis, Owalo said: “My presence here today is simply to assure you that the government is committed to develop Konza Technopolis to a world class city. My Ministry is working to ensure that we deliver the Konza Bill to properly anchor the project into law to protect our investor’s interest.”
“We have invested heavily in Konza and we shall continue to support the institution to deliver on its mandate. We take the great progress that the city has made, including the developing of the Kenya Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) which is being undertaken jointly with the Ministry of Education,” said Owalo.
KAIST is expected to admit its first students by the end of this year. The construction of the institution is already ongoing in the city.
While urging the investors to ground break and move business to Konza, the CS noted that the government is available to unlock any challenges that they may face in developing their businesses.
“At a policy level, we are available to ensure that we have the appropriate policies for the city. We will ensure that from an incentive perspective, there are adequate policies, laws and regulations that will facilitate private sector investment within Konza,” he said.
During the event that was also attended by the Principal Secretary for ICT and Digital Economy, Eng. John Tanui, the Acting CEO of KoTDA, Mr. John Paul Okwiri noted that they are looking forward to having at least five investors doing their groundbreaking in the next 12 months.
“We are glad with the investment we have made as a city. Moving forward, we are seeking to accelerate our vertical infrastructure development. In the next 12 months, we are looking forward to having at least five investors doing their ground breaking for vertical infrastructure development,” he said.
So far, 25 investors in Phase one have their leases registered, while ten investors’ designs have been approved.
On January 24th 2023, Konza Technopolis held a financiers-investor program which was aimed at supporting the investors to overcome challenges such as the high cost of construction materials and long-term affordable financing.
During the event that was themed Open for Business, KoTDA launched its ISO certification; ISO 9001:2015; and briefed the investors on the development of the project as of January 2023. Prospective investors were also informed of the available opportunities at the smart city.
Konza Technopolis offers an array of opportunities for investors.
Other than opportunities for ICT and IT Enabled services, the city has opportunities around Smart Manufacturing, Light Industry Logistics, Smart Agriculture, Property development, Product development and innovation, Education and training institutions, Hotels and Convention Centres, Entertainment, recreation and sports facilities, Business enterprises among others.
By Joseph Ng’ang’a
