Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Business, Investment and the Future of Kenya on Eye Witness Business (K24)

What do we want to see in Kenya? We could have dozens of answers for this question: better living standards, improved security, poverty eradication, access to better health care, more opportunities, improved infrastructure, increased literacy levels and the list goes on. Where does the realization of these begin? Business: entrepreneurship and investment holds the key to the answer. The two have to be brought together. The fusion of resources and business ventures must happen.

Emerging Markets Investments Club (EMIC) are on a mission. This is a consortium of various stakeholders – investors, entrepreneurs, and even government who come together, share information on how to take this country forward. A major aim is to create human capital and build capacity among entrepreneurs. This is what we need to make things work for us.

Dr. Karanja of EMIC insists that our perception towards business and entrepreneurship needs to change. We must have the attitude that ‘it’s possible’; it can be done. We have a lot of potential; ideas that can transform people’s lives, and believing that we can change things to be what we want them to be, is important in order to take our ideas to the next level. We might not have all the infrastructure required to do it, unlike in the developed nations, but we can start with what we got. We can start now, and not wait for the sweet by and by, or for somebody else to come from outside to help us do it.

Asked about his take on the Vision 2030, James Kairu the founder of EMIC supports it and maintains that we can utilize it to change things. We should all come together, as we ask ourselves how this can be achieved. We must also ensure that it’s free from any political motivation.

We also need to be action oriented. Actualization is where the rubber meets the road. EMIC is active on this aspect and is having various initiatives involved in training entrepreneurs, providing mechanisms for mobilization for funding of ventures and ideas, particularly private equity and venture capital. I personally believe this is the fuel that we need to launch this country onto an economic progression.



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