Nairobi Leaders Asked To Align Investment Opportunities With SDGs To Get Solid Partners Abroad

• Nairobi's immense growth potential and investment opportunities are luring investors from Italy and France to invest in Kenya
• Agnes Kagure shared details of meetings she held with Italian and French investors about sustainable and life-changing partnership opportunities in Kenya
• She asked her Kenyan counterparts to align investment and development plans to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals to lure more investors abroad to partner with them
• Areas of great interest include entrepreneurship, smart agriculture, job creation and renewable energy

Michael Ollinga is a journalist at TUKO.co.ke with over 10 years of experience covering courts and crimes, special reports, and current affairs in Kenya.

A Kenyan politician has called on Nairobi county leaders and the national government to embrace strategic partnerships to realise development potential fully.

Kenya's economic hub

Agnes Kagure said Nairobi, Kenya’s economic hub, has immense potential for growth and development.

However, she feared that the growth potential might not be realised if the county and national leaders did not embrace strategic partnerships with developed cities and partners in developed countries.

Speaking on lessons learned after meeting development partners and investor groups in Italy and France, Kagure said Nairobi’s development is hinged on the collective efforts of every stakeholder and strong partnerships beyond investments.

“We must harness all stakeholders' collective efforts and resources. This includes pooling investments to bolster infrastructure and entrepreneurship, enhancing education, and keeping our healthcare services running and working for all,” Kagure told TUKO.co.ke.

According to Kagure, cooperation is the cornerstone of sustainable development.

Public, private partnerships in Kenya

She cited collaboration between the government, private sector, and civil society and leveraging international partners as a good starting point for sustainable and life-changing partnerships.

“This way, we can address our communities' multifaceted challenges and pave the way for a brighter future. The discussions we had were beyond financial investments and more about building partnerships that prioritise sustainable development approaches that create long-lasting positive impact on our people’s lives,” she explained.

She disclosed that several investor groups in France and Italy were eager to build progressive partnerships with the Kenyan government and local partners, and added the ball was in Kenya’s court to make the opportunity bear fruit.

Kagure said she hinged her proposals on opportunities aligning with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and received encouraging feedback and goodwill from partners abroad.

UN Sustainable Development Goals in Kenya

“During my meetings in Italy and France, I made a case on the importance of aligning investment opportunities with the Sustainable Development Goals set forth by the United Nations and, most importantly, with the socio-economic realities of our people.

By focusing on areas such as entrepreneurship, smart agriculture, job creation, renewable energy and many more, we can create inclusive growth that benefits all residents of Nairobi, particularly the most vulnerable and marginalised segments of our population,” expounded Kagure.

Entrepreneurship partnership opportunties in Kenya

She called on both elected and business sector leaders to prioritise empowering local investments and entrepreneurs, saying they were the engines that drove the city’s and country’s economic growth, creating job opportunities and fostering innovation.

“By providing them with the necessary support, training, and resources, we can unlock their potential to contribute meaningfully to Nairobi's development agenda. Sustainable development requires collective action and shared responsibility. I am optimistic about the prospects of our cooperation with Italian investors and other partners who share our vision for betterment. I am equally enthusiastic to see projects they are involved in blossom and thrive,” stated Kagure.

Last year, the French government donated about 1 million euros (about KSh 140 million) to Nairobi county's school feeding programme, dubbed Dishi na County.

Despite the County Assembly raising concerns over the utilisation of the funds, a section of members of the County Assembly said the money had been properly utilised and challenged critics to offer alternatives instead of just pouring cold water onto the programme.

Proofreading by Nyambura Guthua, journalist and copy editor at TUKO.co.ke

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Nairobi politician Agnes Kagure (l) and French President Emmanuel Macron (r)

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