Kenyan Government Urges Diaspora to Participate in Joint Partnerships
By Martin N.M.
Article 1 -- The Kenyan Diaspora has an important role to play in ensuring the success of Public Private Partnerships (PPP) according to Ms. Esther Koimett, the Investment Secretary in the Office of the Deputy Prime Minster and Ministry of Finance.
In her presentation during the 2009 edition of the Kenya Diaspora Conference held at Kennesaw State University in Atlanta, Ms. Koimett outlined how Kenya’s US based Diaspora can engage in ongoing PPP efforts.
PPP is an agreement between a public entity and a private entity in which the private entity undertakes to perform a function (or provide a service) on behalf of the public entity, in return for some compensation. The four forms of PPP are Lease, Concession, Build-Own-Operate and Build-Own-Operate-Transfer.
PPPs provide the public entity with access to private resources such as capital and management expertise while also facilitating better allocation, pricing and mitigation of risk between both parties.
Ms. Koimett noted that PPP will be an important delivery vehicle for infrastructure facilities and services envisioned in Vision 2030 especially for large investments such as roads, energy, transport and telecommunications.
In her remarks, she explained the elaborate framework the government has put in place to facilitate the preparation and approval of PPPs through a seven step process.
There is a PPP steering committee chaired by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Finance with membership from the Office of the Attorney General, the Office of the Prime Minister, the Ministry of Planning and the Private Sector. The committee is supported by a secretariat to serve as a resource center for best practice and nodal representation by Permanent Secretaries in all the ministries to oversee day to day management of PPPs.
Specific PPP opportunities over the next decade are: an ICT Park in Athi River; development of Kenya Ports Authority berths; development of a port in Lamu; standard gauge railway lines; ferry services in Mombasa and Lake Victoria; development of a free port in Mombasa; and toll roads.
In closing, Ms. Koimett encouraged the Diaspora to form consortia with American and other foreign investors and bid for opportunities.
About the author: Martin N.M. consults in the areas of policy and finance with a focus on Diaspora engagement strategies; working capital and inventory management; competitiveness; and the role of universities as engines of economic development.
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