Kenya plans to push its 300mn dollar textile export to 1bn dollar to U. S.

Kenya plans to push its current 300 million dollar worth of textiles exports to at least one billion dollars in the next two years for which they need to reduce the cost of doing business and at the same time improve the ease of doing business.

According to Industrialization Cabinet Secretary Adan Mohammed to achieve the target of one billion dollars of textile exports annually to the U.S. in the next 24 month, the goal will only be achieved if Kenya becomes a low cost apparel manufacturing country.

Mohammed during a government briefing on the achievements of the recently concluded U.S.-Africa Summit said that the summit presented Kenya with an opportunity to showcase its investments opportunities.

There is currently over one billion dollars worth of investments by the international community that is currently targeting the East Africa region’s textile sector. Kenya is also in the process of putting in place policies that will support local manufacturers.

The proposed Special Economic Zones law will help increase the volume and supply of locally manufactured goods.

Kenya plans to begin rolling out the Textile city in July in order to revive the sector. Kenya also plans not to impose a ban on the importation of second hand good but will use market forces to ensure their demand suppressed.

Kenya to achieve its target would also have to tackle the competition faced by them from other textile manufacturing nations such as Ethiopia and Vietnam.