Production of goods against outsourcing products is usually up for consideration for many companies. Kenya is no exception to this rule seeing that many Kenyan companies have fallen victim to initially outsourcing their products to keep up with the growing demand. However, due to the increased demand and supply of products that are specifically tailor-made to suit the Kenyan masses, industrialization has become more common thus paving way for what marks the revolution in the Kenyan manufacturing sector.
Many Kenyan companies are already taking steps geared towards manufacturing and assembling products for the Kenyan market and beyond. The manufacturing sector now spans a wide range of products such as food and beverage products, metal products fabrication, pharmaceuticals, cement production as well as automotive assembling companies.
Kenya has faced stiff competition from its competitor’s in automotive from Japan, Germany and United Arab Emirates who were initially the pioneers of automotive products pre and post-independence in Kenya.
One of the entrants in the automotive sector famously known as Kibo Africa, a mobility company based in Nairobi. Being the first of its kind with a local assembly, this Kenyan motorbike has not only provided safe and reliable mobility for people in Kenya but has also ensured a source of livelihood for many Kenyans. For this reason, Kibo is often referred to as the architect behind the first purpose-built motorbike the Kibo K150.
The K150 which is specifically designed for the rough terrain in the African region is considered a step in the right direction when it comes to supporting the entrepreneurial spirit in Kenya. All this while offering mobility solutions for organizations.
One of the many benefits accompanied the entry of Kibo in the automotive sector is the creation of employment opportunities especially for the youth. With a growing number of unemployed youth in the country, Kibo has been able to see hundreds of unemployed youth without access to funds to further their education get employed. That said, it has enabled youth from polytechnic universities to access employment in the assembly Kibo has set up in the country.
The president of Kenya backs the local assembly initiative strongly, he has applauded the local assembly developments from different players and even mentioned manufacturing as being a part of the big four agenda in his state of the nation address recently. Further to this, the Industrialization and Trade Cabinet Secretary Adan Mohamed even emphasized further the need to grow to manufacture from 9 to 15 per cent in order to grow the GDP in the country and ensure Kenya is among the top fifty in the world which will eventually result in cross-border trade between countries surrounding Kenya.
As with many other companies, Kibo Africa through the creation of the K150 is looking at boosting the national economy. Kibo, other than job creation, is assisting in providing mobility to wildlife conservancies such as Lewa to aid in patrols to those in impassible areas especially during harsh periods of climate change. The efforts depicted by Kibo goes a long way in aiding in the anti-poaching efforts.
Drawing from Kibo, these are but just a few of the benefits that have come about with the journey of industrialization in Kenya that has grown in leaps and bounds and is yet to notice more growth with the continued registration of many more businesses in line with the government’s agenda