Letters

LETTERS: Lake region economic blueprint encouraging

lake

A fisherman at Koginga Beach in Lake Victoria, Homa Bay. FILE PHOTO | NMG

It’s encouraging that Governors from the lake Basin region have seen the importance of forming a regional blocks as a way of maximizing on the utilization of existing opportunities and advantages that come from opportunities of scale for development.

Similar initiatives have been tried at the Coast, parts of the Rift Valley and in the Northern Frontier regions and in the past few years, several counties hosted investment forums to show case their investment potential.

This is an acknowledgement by the Counties that investments will play a key role in the realization of the Vision 2030.While the specifics in the regional arrangements and why their establishments, which start off with pomp and fare seem to lose steam as soon as they are started, the move is very welcome for the region, which has vast resources that seem not to be helping the residents.

The Lake Victoria region seems to host most of the counties that are on the apex of the poverty index in Kenya.

A report by Deloitte East Africa done few years ago entitled Lake Victoria Basin Economic Blueprint noted that the longer-term economic transformation of the Lake Basin region depends on the extent to which the counties and their leadership develop and implement a shared vision for regional transformation and development.

The governors, who have so far met in Kakamega, Kisumu and Busia, seem determined, and I hope, politics and competition will not kill the dream of uplifting the lives of the residents from the region.

Hopefully also, Constituencies in the region should start exploiting the economies of scale by implementing projects that have a region outlook especially in infrastructure.

The lake basin region is strategically placed as a gateway to Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda and the Great Lakes Region which are potential markets for goods and services produced here.

The Lake Basin Region also has access to ell developed transportation routes into the Comesa and SADC regions.

In addition, the Lake basin shares natural resources like Lake Victoria, rivers, tourists’ destination sites, environmental and climatic conditions among others.

The agricultural potential is very good and rainfall levels are relatively high and stable while the Lake Victoria Kenya Tourism Circuit (LVKTC) has enormous potential as a tourist destination. Key areas of potential include nature and wildlife; agro-tourism; water sports among other cultural heritage activities.

A number of financial institutions including banks, micro finance, Saccos and lending institutions have set up base in the region, and what is only needed to spur economic growth and investments is to enhance access to appropriate business advisory services.

This is an area the regional block should prioritise by investing in establishing a joint facility or center of excellence for the region. Another area that requires urgent attention, which will greatly spur investment in the region is developing the infrastructure.

READ: Lake region economic bloc takes shape but many hurdles remain

Working with national institutions such as Kenya National Highways Authority, Kenya Urban Roads Authority, Ketraco, LBDA, KAA among others, they must address the issue of fewer paved and tarmacked roads, inconsistent energy and electricity provision, inadequate clean water for drinking and cooking and a dead manufacturing sector.

Working with the National Government, the leaders must exploit the vast opportunities available for water and air transport including landing facilities and airfields are essential factors for investors.

Hopefully, the County leaders will ensure that they work jointly to create an enabling environment for investors, by providing leadership, conducive regulatory regime and invest in improving infrastructures that investors require.

The regional thinking should be alive to the fact that without political good will, proper legal, administrative and policy mechanisms to sustain or allow business people to invest in the counties, nothing much will be achieved.

We need laws and policies to regulate and or attract investment in the region and prioritise an audit or feasibilities/viability reports on the region before rushing to start projects.

Victor Bwire, via email.