President William Ruto and ODM leader Raila Odinga are expected to attend the Nyanza International Investment Conference to be held in Kisumu.
Information and Communication Technology CS Eliud Owalo said President Ruto will officially open and give a Keynote speech at the conference scheduled on June 28 and 29.
The head of state will lead a team of local and international investors to exploit the unexploited potential investment opportunities in the region.
Owalo, who was speaking during the preparatory meeting with doctors and health professionals ahead of the conference on Thursday, said he has held talks with Raila who has agreed to participate in the forthcoming conference.
"As a leader from Nyanza, Raila has wide experience with the development opportunities of the region and available untapped opportunities which should be exploited and his presence is key for the summit," he said.
The CS said they have also reached out to governors including the six from the region and Members of Parliament (MPs) to take part in the conference.
The conference to be held at Ciala Resort seeks to foster development across the six counties in the region by attracting both local and international investors.
"This conference is a step to exploit the untapped available investment opportunity in Nyanza into an economic powerhouse,” he said.
The conference will bring together local and international investors, national and county government officials and the private sector to explore investment opportunities in the region.
Owalo, who is the NIIC patron, said the conference would impact the region’s economy as it will enable participants to exploit the available opportunity.
The conference is being organised under the theme, "Nyanza Rising: Towards Economic Transformation for Socio-Economic Growth and Development".
Owalo said the conference will help in exploring the available and potential development challenges and turn them into investable opportunities for investors.
The summit, he said, was in line with the government’s directive to promote Public-Private Partnerships to spur investments and grow the country’s economy.
Owalo said the conference targets to enable them to link up international prospective investors with economic opportunities which are available in the Nyanza region by way of comparative advantages.
"The conference with help us have a thought platform to bring these parties together. Unlike other past conferences, we want this to be action-oriented and not a talk show. This one should be different where available opportunities should be turned into tangible results by way of foreign capital inflow and prospective investors who are locally based for the economic growth of the region," he said.
He noted that various plans have been developed such as the Lake Basin Development Authority masterplan, the Lake Region Economic Bloc strategic plan and other several policy documents which should be implemented through serious investments.
"The development priorities of Nyanza are well-known and documented. They should now be turned into results for the benefit of the people of this region and Kenyans at large," Owalo said.
Besides relying fully on the national and county governments for developments, the CS said there are also some value interventions they can make as professionals through leverage on their network to bring in private investors to tap into some of the development opportunities.
"This is why we are reaching out to all integral stakeholder segments as we get into the home stretch of the investment summit so that nobody is left behind. None of us including me has exclusivity of ideas and we want to work together with all stakeholders," Owalo said.
Already, the CS said they have held a meeting with 30 European Union (EU) ambassadors who have pledged to bring investors to the conference.
On Saturday, Owalo led the conference planning committee in a meeting with the business community from the six counties in Nyanza, who promised to participate in the conference as delegates.
On Wednesday, the team also held a meeting with architects, engineers, quantity surveyors and planners across the country who will take part as delegates and exhibitors.
The CS also urged the doctors to participate in the conference as delegates and exhibitors of their work and ongoing progress in the health sector, while leveraging on emerging technological advancement.
Owalo said they will also engage the Law Society of Kenya where they will meet lawyers as part of the preparatory exercise for the conference.
They also have a plan to engage with academia, the Kenya Association of Manufactures and the Kenya Private Sector Alliance as well as Kenyans in the diaspora through a virtual meeting.
Owalo said they have the full support of the government in planning for the conference which they are coordinating with his Education counterpart Ezekiel Machogu.
He added that several Principal Secretaries from various state departments have also been incorporated in the planning of the conference, which the government is keen to be successful.
Owalo reassured that President Ruto's administration is keen to ensure all the projects in Nyanza including the Koru-Soin dam and 53 kilometre Ring Road around Lake Victoria and several others are completed.
The dam will be constructed through public public-private partnership after the initial funding, government's to fully fund the project, became untenable.
He added that the last mile electricity connectivity will be spread out in the remaining constituencies in the region.
Owalo said there are plans to expand airports in the country including Kisumu International Airport which will boost Agricultural and export activities of the region.
He noted that there are large deposits of minerals which should be exploited such as in Homa Bay County, where there is iron ore which should be mined.
"We hope we can get investors during the investment summit to untapped the available opportunities to help spur the region's economy," Owalo said.
For the first time in history since independence, he said there is a government in place which is committed and responsive to ensure the development opportunities are fully exploited.
He pointed out that if the opportunities in health, energy, agriculture and mining among others in the region are turned into more vibrant and productive through investment, the economy of Nyanza will be sustainable and create employment for youths.
"The health facilities are also not doing that well and we hope through this investment we can get investors to pump in money towards improving the sector," Owalo said.
The meeting at Nairobi Hospital Auditorium was attended by doctors led by a veteran medical practitioner and lecturer Prof. Joseph Aluoch and Acting Director General of Health Dr Patrick Amoth.
Also present were former Kenyatta Hospital CEO Dr Meshack Onguti, Dr Ogada, Dr. Adongo, Head of Professional Standards and Human Resources for Health MoH Dr. Hezron Omolo, Head of Regulations and Legislation MoH Dr. Angela Nyakundi, Prof. Omondi Ogutu (UoN/MoH).Others present were Dr. Julliet Omwoha (MoH), Dr. Loice Achieng (UoN)Dr. David Oluoch-Olunya, Dr Barclay Onyambu (Nairobi Hospital), Chair KMPDU Nyanza Region Dr. Onyango Ndonga, Head of Technical Operations Kenya Biovax Institute Dr Rabera Kenyanya, Dr Mcligeyo (UoN), founder Oasis Medical Centre Dr Dedan Ogonga, Dr Boniface Osano (UoN), Dr Jacinter Modi (KNH) and Neonatologist Dr Peter Gisore.
Others present were Dr Serah Mumbi, Dr Patrick Nyamohanga (Maseno University), Dr Mcligeyo (UoN), Gynaecological Oncologist Dr Gabriel Ouma, Dr Vincent Orinda, and Dr Agatha Olago (MoH) among others.
Nairobi Hospital CEO James Nyamongo was also in attendance.
During the meeting, the NIIC organizing committee was led by Chairman Japh Olende, along with Michael Monari, Dr Amos Omolo, Dr Vera Manduku, Dr. Omondi Ogada, Dr Zilpah Owich, Amb. Grace Okara, Esther Mayaka, Jane Oriya, Ken Mohochi, Ken Onditi, and Archie Alai.