Manufacturing exhibitors from Africa, Asia, and Europe are congregating in Nairobi for the 8th edition of the Agro-Food Pack exhibition.

The expo is set to last for three days, hosting over 200 exhibitors from the three continents.

Speaking during the event, Antony Mwangi, the CEO of the of the Kenya Association of Manufacturers, stressed that there is an urgent need for growth in the manufacturing sector from 7.6% to 20% by 2030 to create room for more jobs in the country.

The country’s manufacturing sector has currently created over 360,000 jobs in the country, contributing 18% to the taxes.

However, Mwangi emphasized that more growth in the sector is paramount to cater to the over 1 million people joining the job market yearly.

The CEO is optimistic that this will enable the country to avert a potential job and economic crisis in the coming years.

“The Chief Executive Officer of Kenya Association of Manufacturers, Mr Antony Mwangi noted that there is a need to grow from 7.6% to 20% by 2030. Or else there will be a crisis of jobs and the economy will not perform optimally,” a statement from the exhibition read.

More stakeholders in the exhibitions underscored that the government should come up with a new and working industrial policy that will enable the manufacturing sector to recover from other entanglements such as post-COVID, climate change, and Finance Bills.