With determination to attract investors and eager American companies ready to accord them audience, Kenyan delegates to the US-Africa business summit in Washington, D.C have hit the ground running to showcase investable projects back home. The two-day summit organized by the United States Corporate Council on Africa has brought together American companies and African technocrats to brainstorm on investment opportunities in the continent.
“Let’s keep our eye on the finish line. Let us not get distracted by any negative press coverage as noted here today. The vision is about making sure every Kenyan get’s an education, we grow the economy and preserve the environment as we honor Professor Wangari Maathai.” Dr. Edward Sambili the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Planning National Development and Vision 2030 delivered closing argument of the Kenya Diaspora Conference 2011 in what from our perspective was one of the best speeches. ...
“The railway from Mombasa to Kisumu does not operate. How do you hope to achieve this new project if you can’t get the Mombasa – Kisumu right?” The question was put forward to Dr. Engineer Cyrus Njiru the Permanent Secretary of Ministry of transport. The P.S whose mere passion may lead this project to take of the ground did not miss a heart beat as he explained in details of the Mombasa to Kisumu railway position as off today. He went ahead and gave dates and the conditions that have been set that will see this corridor brought back to efficiency and quality it was in the 70’s and even make it better. He noted that it was because he was here to talk of the LAPSSET project that this was not featured.
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Amoung the attendees of the conference are entreprenuerial ladies like businesslady Louise Ngugi Sauer who is based at Atlanta and Nairobi. She is the Director of Star Tours and Travel, a company registered in Kenya and U.S that organizes Safari tours and arranges travel tickets for Kenyans. Loise would stop at the exhibition booth of Centralized Options, a company founded by another Kenyan Entreprenuer and businesslady Lucy Koinange – Nguru who is based in Chicago. The recently started company registered in Kenya and the U.S is tailored to offer Diaspora Kenyans with travel solutions that will make their visits to Kenya more memorable....
Manhattan is one of 5 boroughs of New York City and is the home of the United Nations headquarters where every year leaders from the entire world converge for a UN meeting. As Kenyan events promoter Mercy, who lives across the Hudson River and promotes “President Kibaki Meeting with Kenyans” during the President visit to Manhattan, New York City will tell you, Manhattan is not just one of the cities of the Eastern Coastline of the U.S. Manhattan is the city. Some of the amazing facts of Manhattan include: ...
Bernard Kamiri, founder of DoublesXpess Money transfer, is determined to see as many Kenyans as possible open a Jamhuri account with Co-operative Bank of Kenya. Indeed having tried to integrate the Diaspora and Kenya banking for more than 5 years, he is proud to say that the bank that offers the greatest opportunity to Kenyans looking to save and invest in Kenya is Co-operative Bank of Kenya. He gave five reasons for choosing the Co-operative Bank of Kenya. ...
Many Kenyans today want to fly; Equity Bank is providing the “Wings to Fly.” Banking in Kenya today has become a necessity. Today it is common for income earners or anyone wishing to make savings to identify with a certain bank. For this to happen, one considers a number of issues before choosing a bank like minimum balance, number of withdrawals, transaction charges, location among others. Equity with almost 6 million customers has excelled in almost all areas to become the lead bank customers wise....
Whereas we have concentrated on Cash remitted from Diaspora, shipping products and machines from overseas has also generated economic growth in most parts of the world. Over the last ten years a large number of Kenyans in the Diaspora have opted to ship computers, road evacuation equipment, construction equipment, water pumps, furniture, home electronics, clothes, and sewing machines that have contributed to the growth of small and medium sized enterprises while creating more jobs. We had an opportunity to talk to the founder of Compton Logistics the lead shipping company in the U.S to East Africa....
Based on Facebook which is valued at about $50 billion, about Kshs 4 trillion, which just recently passed its sixth birthday, then this can indeed happen. It is no wonder an entrepreneur from Kenya recently made rounds in the U.S and in small groups of gatherings talked of the opportunity to become rich. He promised to turn a share of Kshs 380,000 cash to Kshs 200 million. Many Kenyans listened and some reached inside their checkbooks to give him the money just based on the belief that he knew where and what he was saying. ...
“When China opened up its economy to investments, It experienced the greatest economic boom mankind has ever witnessed,” said Mr mcGuire at the WPI China-U.S business conference last year. A similar boom is emerging in Africa with Kenya as one of the lead nations. The biggest sign has been of the banks rapid growth. In 2006 the customer deposits for a bank like Co-operative bank were less than Kshs 50 billion this has almost tripled in the last 5 years to approach a level of about Kshs 150 billion....
