The Kenyan Ministry of Trade says it is in the process o f formulating a new policy that seeks to coordinate private sector development act ivities in the country.
Ministry officials explained here Tuesday that the envisaged policy would promot e and expand trade by creating a partnership between the government, the private
sector and other stakeholders in order to achieve the country’s development goal s .
Trade assistant minister Omingo Magara told a ministerial sensitisation workshop on trade that Kenya needed trade with developed nations and not aid.
Magara said over-reliance on donor aid was killing local innovations, a trend he observed the ministry was committed to reversing through the promotion of entre p reneurship development.
He said the government was also committed to creating a facilitative role in cre ating and enabling a conducive environment for business to thrive.
According to the minister, the country had a lot of potential in trade but what was lacking, like in many other African countries, was the failure to re-brand a n d add value on locally manufactured products.
Meanhile, Magara said his ministry, in collaboration with development partners a nd its youth affairs’ counterpart, had already commissioned two district busine s s solution centres in western Kenya that offer business skills and entrepreneurs h ip development.
“We must seek new strategies and initiatives that can spur growth,” he said.
