NAIROBI, Feb. 17 (Xinhua) -- Kenya's industrialists on Tuesday launched the 2026 Manufacturing Priority Agenda (MPA) to boost the country's manufacturing sector.
Tobias Alando, chief executive officer of the Kenya Association of Manufacturers, told journalists in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, that the policy document is a practical and time-sensitive roadmap for unlocking the full potential of the manufacturing sector.
"The MPA 2026 provides a clear blueprint for industrial transformation by aligning policy, investment, and market access to build a globally competitive manufacturing sector," Alando said.
He added that the strategic roadmap is anchored on four pillars: global competitiveness, export-led industrialization, small and medium enterprise development, and agricultural development, designed to position manufacturing at the center of Kenya's economic transformation.
Susan Mangeni, principal secretary of the State Department of Micro Small and Medium Enterprises, said that the MPA comes at a critical time for the manufacturing sector, which contributes only 7.3 percent to the country's gross domestic product, despite its central role in job creation, government revenue generation, innovation, exports, and linkages across agriculture, services, and logistics.
Mangeni reaffirmed the government's commitment to strengthening local industry as a driver of inclusive growth and national prosperity. ■
