Local manufacturers have been challenged to take advantage of the expanded East Africa Community market to grow.
East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) member Maina Karobia said the over 300 million populations of the EAC nations offered huge opportunities to investors and manufacturers to market their wares.
Speaking during the opening of the new Grand Maria Industrial Park in Thika, Kiambu County, the legislator said the regional assembly has enacted laws that make it easy for member states to do business.
Karobia spoke as local industrialists asked the government to intervene and remove bottlenecks that threatened to derail their operations, including the unavailability or unfair distribution of raw materials.
“The EAC market now has huge opportunities, and if only manufacturers take advantage, then we expect to see growth of our industries, ” said Karobia.
James Kamau, one of the directors of the Industrial Park based in Thika’s Ngoingwa estate and the proprietor of Two Cousins Distillers based at the park, said the scarcity of ethanol, which is the main ingredient in the production of alcoholic beverages, was a major challenge.
Some industries have since been set up at the park, with others upcoming.
Another industrialist, Bimal Shah, who is the chairman of Broadways Bakery and Bakex Millers in the town, also expressed concern over delays in the approval of building plans by the Kiambu County government.
Local businessmen, led by Gloria Kamau, welcomed the new industrial park, saying it offers job and business opportunities for hundreds of youths and asking the government to tighten the noose on importers of counterfeit goods.
“The opportunities that the industrial park will create will change Thika’s business environment. This has always been an industrial town, and we hope more job opportunities will be created for our youth,” said Kamau.
Isaac Waititu, the project manager for Grand Maria Park, said the new industrial zone sets the pace for Thika, which is easily accessible from Nairobi and other urban areas, to achieve city status.
By Muoki Charles
