- He said 63 percent of the population are currently living on less than a dollar a day.
- In seeking to ensure a sustainable growth, Owalo said they are reaching to relevant stakeholders.
Image: FAITH MATETE
Nyanza is planning to host a major international conference this month as part of its initiatives to market the region as the best destination for investment.
Spearheaded by the Nyanza Professionals Forum (NPF), the forum set for June 28 will bring together all actors from national and counties, development partners, business leaders, scholars, researchers, local community, diaspora and international organisations.
It will also see the attendance of President William Ruto who is set to officially open it.
Explaining the decision to hold the conference, ICT Cabinet Secretary Eliud Owalo who is the Forum’s patron noted that the decision to consolidate the counties in the region is “strategic and natural”.
“Nyanza is crying loud for transformation,” he remarked.
Highlighting the challenges facing the region, Owalo said apart from being the gateway to the Great Lakes region and the opportunity this entails, Kisumu, Homabay, Kisii, Migori, Nyamira and Siaya counties have significant similar socio-economic challenges.
He said 63 per cent of the population is currently living on less than a dollar a day.
“Since income levels are low and institutional and policy infrastructure rather weak, there is no other better time to change the fortunes of the region,” Owalo said.
He noted that it is worrying that unemployment, degrading education standards and poverty has continued to relegate many residents especially the youth to hopelessness yet the region has great growth potential.
Nyanza’s per capita Gross county product, according to Owalo is estimated to be Sh190,000 demonstrating its potential spending power which he said could grow with the increased opportunities.
The six counties in the region have a vantage position in providing a conducive environment needed to spur the much-needed socio-economic growth and associated outcomes through sound and viable investments, he explained.
“All factors constant, we believe the cost of production or of doing business in the region will be rather low in the end thuds guaranteeing higher amounts of returns on every investment related to their costs,” said the CS.
In seeking to ensure sustainable growth, Owalo said they are reaching out to relevant stakeholders.
He said efforts have been made to unpack the existing and potential development challenges to turn them into investable opportunities for private sector investors.
Some of the key opportunities available in the region, he said, are on areas of infrastructure, transport, energy, housing, agriculture, food security, nutrition, and health.
Others are irrigation, climate change, environment and waste management, education, tourism, sports and creative economy, technology and innovation for the blue economy, and research among others.
Other key officials making up the NPF are Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu, also a patron, former solicitor general Kennedy Ogeto (senior advisor), Japh Olende (chairman), Charles Nyachae (deputy chair)and Onyango Ochieng (exhibitions committee chair).