Kenya > Snapshot

Kenya, an english-speaking country of almost 40 million people, is the most industrialized economy in East Africa. With the exception of the political instability following the presidential elections of 2007/2008, Kenya remains one of the most stable political-economies for foreign investment and private sector development in the region.

Nearly two-thirds of the Kenyan economy (GDP)  is service-based, however agriculture remains the largest source of employment with an estimated 80% of the population working in subsistence (grains, livestock) or commercial (cut flowers, tea, coffee, sugar) agriculture.  Manufacturing accounts for less than 15% of the economy due to electricity outages and poorly maintained roads, railroads and ports,hold goods).

The largest source of revenues in the country comes from the services sector and in particular the tourism industry, which brought in over $600 million USD in foreign reserves in 2006. Kenya has benefited from being an international premium tourism destination; the Masai Mara boasts of some of the best savannahs in the world, and offers several luxury “all-inclusive packages” to travelers willing to splurge on animal safaris.

The banking sector, although not widely accessible to the general Kenyan population, is strong in commercial  business areas such the capital city of Nairobi and the port city of Mombasa. Foreign investment in recent years has mainly been focused on the financial services and telecommunications sectors (Safaricom). Cellphones are widely available and inexpensive in Kenya, and wireless communications is seen as a major growth industry.

Read more:

Key insights for investment for the local market

How to invest in Kenya

How to do business in Kenya

How to bank  in Kenya

Macroeconomic environment

Microeconomic environment

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