Kirinyaga County has held its first Business and Agricultural Expo, to showcase the opportunities available in the County as well as market the products. The aim of the expo is to invite investors to the county.
While opening the event in Mwea, Kirinyaga Governor, Anne Waiguru, said that Kirinyaga being an agricultural county has many opportunities that can be exploited by investors who want to venture in manufacturing and agro processing.
Waiguru said that the expo was a noble initiative that gives the county an opportunity to showcase what it is made of, noting that the county has come a long way in growing the capacity to host and support the growth of diverse enterprises.
“This expo brings together different stakeholders, all showcasing their products and services and there’s something of interest to everybody. It is an opportunity to create networks, share experiences, and learn from one another with the aim of broadening business and agricultural perspectives”, said the governor.
She noted that it was also an opportunity for upcoming entrepreneurs to get exposed to and interact with leading industry players, learn from them and get exposure to current trends and technologies.
“As a county government we recognize that large companies as well as Small and Medium Enterprises play a critical role in our county’s socio-economic development. We are therefore committed to providing a conducive business environment for investors”, she said.
“We are very passionate on promotion of agribusiness, value addition and manufacturing within our county and we will be putting up a tomato factory that will enable our farmers add value to their produce for more income,”.
Mary Njeri, one of the expo sponsors, said Kirinyaga is an agricultural county and we need to invest on priority value chain, processing and real estate.
“Kirinyaga is truly a land of opportunities with over 70% of residents practicing agriculture and we will support this event through sponsoring SMEs,” Ms Njeri said.
Njiru Mkombozi, Patron of expo said the event will be done annually and more stakeholders will be included. Over 50 different exhibitors attended the event drawn from banking, motor vehicle industry, farmers, food processing, Saccos, and consumers.
He urged the farmers to learn on modern farming to improve the output.
“This two-day event brings together different stakeholders and exhibitors from banking, motor vehicles, farmers, food processing, manufacturing, various Saccos and consumers. We intend to do this annually and our people, especially farmers, should learn about modern farming technology to increase the harvest.
By Mutai Kip’ngetich
