The first stop of the EMO World Tour on the African continent is the capital is the Kenyan capital Nairobi. Numerous trade visitors and journalists informed themselves about the world leading trade fair at the press conference of the EMO World Tour. Quotation Christoph Miller, head of the Head of the trade fair department from the German Machine Tool Builders’ Association (VDW):“The EMO Hannover is the ideal platform not only for big investors,” he says turning explicit to Kenyan trade visitors. “We are especially keen, too, to encourage mid-tier users of machine tools to find out in detail what the world of metalworking has to offer.”

Kenya’s economy is growing at an annual rate of between 5 and 6 per cent, investments by between 7 and 9 per cent. The driving force here is the government, which is prioritising large infrastructural projects. Private investments are falling. While the entire East African region is being plagued with crises, Kenya exhibits welcome stability in terms of the major economic indicators. This is primarily attributable to its diversified economy, its low dependence on oil or mineral exports, a growing and increasingly productive agricultural sector, infrastructural investments, and an expanding financial and insurance sector. This means the country is well placed for improved development, but also has plenty of catching up to accomplish, given a population of whom half are living below the poverty line. Economic pundits are therefore urging further structural reforms and rigorous measures to fight corruption, insufficient access to credit, criminality, inadequate infrastructure, high official taxes and an inefficient bureaucracy. In some sectors, like machinery and plant manufacturing, chemicals, the construction industry, communications, environmental engineering, medical technology, infrastructure and mining, substantial investments are being made.

The industrial sector contributes just under a fifth of Kenya’s total economic result. In terms of machinery and plant construction, and of machine tool manufacturing, Kenya is totally dependent on imports. In 2015, machine tools worth 24 million euros were imported. Most of them come from China, India, Italy, Taiwan and Switzerland. Germany, with a share of 6 per cent, ranks 7^th. German machines are much in demand when it comes to high-tech or specialised solutions. They enjoy a very good reputation.

And to enable the machines concerned to be lastingly utilised, service support and maintenance have to be assured. Which is why Germany’s machinery and plant manufacturers have launched a training project in Kenya, designed to provide advanced skilling for existing technical specialists. In the medium term, the two-to-four-week courses are to be complemented by vocational training to qualify staff as mechatronics technicians.

Photo: VDW