Engagement of the private sector has been highlighted as one of the key strategies in promoting development in rural areas.
The recommendation was made during an expert workshop organized by the Ecumenical Centre for Justice and Peace (ECJP).
The workshop that brought together experts from government, international and local NGOs and private sector specialists in finance management sought to identify how the local community could benefit from the available resources.
The forum also pushed for the growth of local markets in Kisumu.
“The private sector can bring in new expertise and have the incentive to improve access to agricultural products and services. Some are already providing solutions to low-income and remote communities and we believe that their understanding of the market and how to meet customers’ needs will support the growth of local communities
Daviid Moi
Development
Deliberations dwelt around the broad areas of agriculture, development, business, and the current situation, and developing local market-based solutions in and around the county.
In this context, the workshop’s participants had the chance to discuss how enhanced private sector involvement in business and complementing the county government efforts in promoting services access to serve the needs of the residents.
“The private sector can bring in new expertise and have the incentive to improve access to agricultural products and services. Some are already providing solutions to low-income and remote communities and we believe that their understanding of the market and how to meet customers’ needs will support the growth of local communities,” said David Moi who is a financial expert.
Access to service
The County Government’s role in supporting the acceleration of access to services was also mentioned, especially in regard to small-scale entrepreneurs and the devolution of service provision to county governments.
Kisumu Senate office field supervisor Maurice Owaka who represented the Senator stressed the importance of sustainable policies around agriculture and financial access as key accelerators for development.
ECJP Western Region Chairman Cardinal Elias Komenya called for the integration of business approaches for long-term sustainable development interventions in providing development to the locals.
Experts also listed the risks of long term investments, amongst which unstable environments, insecurity, poor road networks, lack of water, unclear contractual guidelines, intellectual property ownership and slow decision making processes, as challenges for the private sector’s involvement in service provision.
We are designing and implementing activities to encourage private sector engagement and market-based approaches to service provision in the county
Cardinal Elias Komenya
Old methods
They also called for an urgent need to shift from old farming methods and explore further options for cash-based interventions.
The Kisumu West meeting marked the start of a more practical series of interventions organized by the Ecumenical Centre for Justice and Peace (ECJP), who are also developing tools to help guide investments in the county.
“We are designing and implementing activities to encourage private sector engagement and market-based approaches to service provision in the county,” said Cardinal Elias Komenya.
“We are doing this by bringing various organizations together to explore local market-based solutions to residents,” he furthered.