Production Oriented Competitiveness of Counties Could Excite All Stakeholders

By Mwangi Wanjumbi – Newtimes BS Chief Strategist, Trainer & Researcher

In the 2006 Nairobi International Trade Fair, I happened to have served as a judge for the occasion. One stand was particularly striking and the experience has been memorable ever since. The same was for a renowned tea growing and marketing agency that had a tea bush, which was alongside, followed by intricate demonstration of the tea processing dynamics.

The tea bush seemed so real, as if it was a permanent plantation, regularly used for annual trade fairs, at the same spot. However, common knowledge is that the climate in Nairobi can’t support the growth of tea, thus making the stand deceptive, but still appearing convincingly real and innovative.

Later the same year, there was yet another experience in an interesting exhibition. This time, it was Muranga Business Forum, which had been sponsored by Equity Bank and Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Muranga branch amongst others.

Numerous Muranga based Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) had exhibited their wares and services in this forum. This writer’s role was just to give a small talk explaining why entrepreneurship and SMEs had now become the engine of global poverty eradication through employment and wealth creation, therefore the need to take business to new levels of growth. .

Thereafter, he penned an article that visualized a bottom up approach to the development of the entire Kenyan Nation. In a nutshell, it is through branding Muranga, branding Kakamega, branding Nyeri, branding Machakos and so on that Kenya can achieve its desirable growth as was predicted then.

That was long before vision 2030 was conceptualized. Devolution of Kenya into 47 counties was not even in the picture. Actually, nobody knew that all these ideas of county governments and long term national development strategies could ever become realities. And now?

Indeed, we now have great opportunities of entrenching Kenya into not just the leading economy in east and Central Africa, but actually a middle income nation as envisaged through Vision 2030. However, that may only happen if we embrace the right and holistic focus towards national development.

As a start, counties MUST be conceived as units of PRODUCTION and not CONSUMPTION. Ideally, they need to yield more than is ploughed into them. Most often, it is in the counties that we will find numerous and varying resources that could be presently underutilized. Economists will refer to them as factors of production. Inevitably, the county leadership will have to ensure maximum utility of the available resources. That is if they will achieve the implied mandate of employment and national wealth creation.

Nonetheless, it may be advisable for those concerned not to perceive the human resource as factors of production, especially in a fast changing world. This view could encourage a lopsided top down approach to development matters, which may not necessarily be effective. Why? It may mean inviting investors to exploit the available resources and create kazi kwa vijana (jobs for the youth) some of which may only be temporarily.

Whereas, investments and infrastructural developments in the counties may create jobs in the building industry for example, they may not necessarily provide long term occupations or solutions to persistent unemployment. Nevertheless, research and insights on tested employment and wealth creation strategies indicate an interesting perspective. Probably, the best way to go is to embrace bottom up approaches. This coupled with infrastructural developments could no doubt yield much desired economic growth.

Moreover, people empowerment with the right business and personal development skills, as well as attitudes becomes an inevitable route, towards sustainable value addition. And when all these happen, there will be continued opportunities of creating employment and wealth. Further, spiral effect of the same could lead to consistent growth.

The end result is sustainable competitiveness of each of the counties, which could be reinforced through trade fairs and business forums as earlier noted. The impact of these forums and fairs cannot be gainsaid. They are great drivers of quality production and innovation. The overall efforts will naturally transcend to and impact on the national situation. That could lead to our nation becoming equally competitive amongst other global players.

In that light, county governors may perhaps need to embrace these long term value addition strategies that inevitably lead to employment and wealth creation. The same can span beyond the 10 year maximum terms, of the respective governors. Based on their achievements and legacies, these governors will thereafter be able to serve the nation in other positions one of them being that of senators.

Who knows; our future presidents may actually be picked from the best performing governors (as well as senators). Thus, the counties will no doubt be the breeding grounds for future presidents. Have this not been continually witnessed in nations such as the US? Kenyan Governors and Senators may need to have this in perspective as they continue settling down to serious business of transforming the different counties