Development of Strategic Regional Industries

Posted in Industrialization & SME Development

The EAC Industrialisation Policy identifies six (6) priority sectors in which the EAC region has comparative advantage.

Strategic interventions have, therefore, been proposed to support competitive development of the priority sectors, which include:

1. agro-processing;
2. fertilisers and agro-chemicals;
3. iron-ore and other mineral processing;
4. pharmaceuticals;
5. petro-chemicals and gas processing; and
6. energy and bio-fuels.

The selection of the sectors was based on the priorities identified at national levels which was complemented by a selection methodology that combines assessed attractiveness of the industry (growth and market share) and industry strategic feasibility (factor endowments) into a single indicator.

To attract investment into the priority sectors and generate new industrial capacities, a regional enterprise promotion and award scheme will be set up, and interested investors will register so as to take advantage of the scheme.

Industries operating under the scheme will be classified as strategic regional industries / enterprises and will be required to meet at least four (4) of the following policy objectives:

1. fostering of complementarities or enhancing collaborative production in the region,
2. large investments which may require pooling of resources to ensure that economies of scale are achieved,
3. contributing to realisation of backward and forward linkages in the value chains with regional dimensions,
4. contributing to employment generation in the region; and
5. having presence in at least more than one Partner State and contributing to backward and forward linkages in the region.

A centre for the development of strategic regional industries / enterprises will be established to administer the scheme and promote targeted investments in the priority sectors.