Speaking during the official opening of the $25 million (Sh2.2b) factory, Industrialisation and Enterprise Development Cabinet Secretary Adan Mohamed, said the opening of the facility has already created 3,000 direct jobs with a potential to create another 4,000 jobs in its second phase of development.

“Such investments in the textiles and apparels sectors are a clear demonstration of growing investor confidence,” he said.

“The Government is deliberately focusing on labour intensive sectors that are key drivers in job creation and industrialisation,” Mr Mohamed added. This year, Kenya managed to spring up as the leading and largest exporter under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) programme in sub-Saharan Africa, with exports to the tune of over $300 million and 10,000 new direct jobs created in the apparel sector.

To underscore the importance of this sector, global players in textiles and apparels are expected in the country, to participate in Origin Africa, a Pan-African event organised by the African Cotton and Textile Industries Federation (ACTIF) in collaboration with the Ministry of Industrialisation and other local and international players to discuss the future of the sector.

From a global perspective, Mohamed observed, many industrialised nations have been pioneered by the textile and apparel sectors.

 

Source : in2eastafrica.net