Kenya announces its industrial development policy agenda

Posted on : Monday , 2nd March 2026

The 2026 Manufacturing Priority Agenda (MPA) was introduced by Kenyan businessmen in an effort to strengthen the nation's manufacturing industry.

The Kenya Association of Manufacturers' CEO, Tobias Alando, told reporters in Nairobi, the country's capital, that the policy paper is a workable and urgent road map for realizing the manufacturing sector's full potential.

"The MPA 2026 provides a clear blueprint for industrial transformation by aligning policy, investment, and market access to build a globally competitive manufacturing sector," Alando stated.

In order to place manufacturing at the core of Kenya's economic transformation, he continued, the strategic roadmap is based on four pillars: export-led industrialization, small and medium firm development, global competitiveness, and agricultural development.

The MPA comes at a crucial moment for the manufacturing sector, which accounts for just 7.3% of the nation's GDP despite its pivotal role in job creation, government revenue generation, innovation, exports, and connections across agriculture, services, and logistics, according to Susan Mangeni, principal secretary of the State Department of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises.

Mangeni emphasized the government's dedication to bolstering regional industry as a catalyst for equitable growth and the prosperity of the country.