I was given the opportunity to serve the EPZ fraternity as the EPZA Board Chairman by H. E President Dr. William Samoei Ruto in April 2023 for the next three years. I cannot thank him enough for placing his trust in me to steer the Authority to greater heights. I am now settled in and ready to play my role in supporting EPZA attain its mandate and much more.
My duties and responsibilities at the Authority are already cut out as outlined in the EPZ Program mandate and objectives. The Program is expected to contribute to increased diversification of exports by moving from the traditional exports into value-added products, attract new and additional productive investments, generate increased employment and development of more backward and forward linkages and skills and technology transfer in management, marketing and manufacturing to our budding youthful population.
The EPZ Program is critical and at the center of the achievement of the Bottom – Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA). It is for this reason that the Government of Kenya has prioritized the Program as an economic development enabler and indicator.
I am pleased to note that the value of exports from the EPZ stands at Kshs. 2.9 billion. This is an outstanding milestone which I am confident that we can do better. I wish to remind us that we all have a shared responsibility as the EPZ family to push these numbers further, as EPZA activities continue aligning to BETA to ensure increased manufacturing and value – addition activities to boost the value of finished export goods from Kenya to the World.
I have in the past few weeks since my appointment reiterated to EPZA Management on the need to embrace innovation specifically to enhance the pre – investment process which will ensure that incoming EPZ investors set up and commence their operations faster. We have agreed that we must be able to digitize all our services before the end of the year to enhance efficiency and transparency in our engagements with all stakeholders in our docket.
It is instructive to note that our line Ministry is in the process of incubating and developing what it has dubbed as “One Star One Stop” digital platform where all the State Agencies within it and concerned with the promotion of investments and trade shall be integrated. This is aimed at projecting Kenya as an attractive trade and investment destination. We are therefore hopeful that by the time the Ministry is ready to launch the platform, EPZA should have completed its digitalization to enable us seamlessly integrate into the platform and market ourselves to the world more.
The EPZA Board of Directors remain focused on activities such as this E – Newsletter that ensure that EPZA interacts with our stakeholders as part of our commitment to aggressively promote and sensitize the public on the EPZ Program. The Board is always ready to approve programs that are going to push the Authority outside its comfort zone and into the elite competition we are currently facing in the world.
Thank You.
Mr. Richard Cheruiyot, EPZA Board Chairman
