The North Economic Bloc's member counties stand to gain from the resumption of cargo flights at Eldoret International Airport.
This comes after regional governors, the Kenya Revenue Authority and the Kenya Association of International Cargo Consolidators signed an agreement on Wednesday.
Cargo flights have stalled for the past eight months because of a limited jet fuel supply and a small runway.
Things are now looking up after three governors led by Noreb chair Stephen Sang (Nandi), Wisley Rotich (Elgeyo Marakwet), and Jonathan Bii (Uasin Gishu) met to seal the deal.
Sang said the Kenya Kwanza government will work towards expanding Eldoret Airport and providing a consistent supply of jet fuel for cargo planes.
“We previously refuelled the planes at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi. The resumption of cargo flights in Eldoret could boost the region’s economy significantly," Sang said.
Bii said the planned elevation of Eldoret Town to a city will attract more investors, who will benefit from the renewed cargo services, catalysing economic growth across the Noreb counties.
Rotich asked counties to establish aggregation centres to boost the production of horticulture vegetables and fruits for worldwide markets. He promised large revenues to local farmers.
Aside from avocados, the counties intend to export more items such as tea, potatoes, mangoes, flowers, herbs, and other horticultural products.
The agreement will allow 40-tonne cargo flights to arrive at Eldoret International Airport regularly, increasing export production.
Noreb brings together Uasin Gishu, Samburu, Baringo, Turkana, Nandi, West Pokot, Trans Nzoia and Elgeyo-Marakwet counties.
The county leaders propose a sector approach model in which each county champions one of the following sectors: trade, investment, and urbanisation, health, ICT and digital economy, blue economy, livestock, agriculture, peace, security, and cohesion, climate change, sports, and tourism, among others.
The region is famous for pastoralism, tourism, agriculture, education, health, sports, ICT, and other natural resources.
The North Rift region has diverse climatic conditions that enable it to produce a wide range of products and services in different sectors of the economy.
Sang noted that certain areas within the region experience famine and persistent drought, hence, there is a need to undertake joint ventures to mitigate the effects of climate change and other challenges like insecurity.
“We will reach Noreb's vision of creating a haven of economic prosperity when we widen and deepen our economic, social, and cultural integration and enhance trade, investment, tourism, competitiveness, and economies of scale through synergy while leveraging on the strength of individual counties," he said.
"The bloc will act as a one-stop shop for investors seeking opportunities in the region. The integration will also enable individual counties that are sometimes too small to leverage economies of scale to jointly attract and implement large projects," he added.
