Savannah welcomes new presidential directive

Kenya's Savannah Cement has welcomed a presidential directive, seeking to ensure that public institutions source 40 per cent of their requirements from local manufacturers, saying that the move has the "capacity to accelerate the growth of local industries."

Issued as part of President Uhuru Kenyatta's 52nd Madaraka Day national address, the directive is geared towards fostering a buy 'Kenya build Kenya' culture by all public sector institutions.

President Kenyatta of Kenya said the government is pursuing policies that ensure growth in consumption of locally produced goods and services to secure opportunity and productivity. He said that the Jubilee administration has set a target to ensure that 40 per cent of all services and goods procured by Government are locally produced.

Ronald Ndegwa, managing director of local producer Savannah Cement, described the move as a much needed lifeline for local manufacturers.  "It is no secret that local industries have been suffering from skewed competition from imported products purchased by public institutions at the expense of local manufacturers," he added.

Ndegwa added that the directive will also inspire many local companies to step up their product innovation efforts while benchmarking against global manufacturers. (Source: AllAfrica News)