The Kenya Association of Manufacturers (KAM), in conjunction with the Institute for Development Studies (University of Nairobi), and the African Study Centre (Leiden University) will host a one day workshop on Thursday February 23rd 2017 at the Golden Tulip Hotel in Westlands, Nairobi from 8:00am to 5:00pm.

The workshop will provide a forum to share the final results of the study that is looking at the ‘Role of multinational businesses in the promotion of productive employment in Sub-Saharan Africa’, specifically focusing on Kenya and Nigeria and Kenya, and with a special focus on Dutch Multinational Businesses. This research fits well with Kenya’s national development policies which seek to attract foreign direct investments by increasing the country’s competitiveness, enhancing Kenya’s position in the global trade and creating an enabling environment for private businesses to thrive as a key means to attain long term development objectives. Further, as the Netherlands Embassy in Nairobi intends to relate with Kenya more as a trading partner and seeks investment opportunities for Dutch Multinational businesses, findings of this study would shed light on how this changing relationship can be beneficial to both countries. In Kenya, the study focuses on two sub-sectors: cut-flower and energy.

The objective of this workshop is to discuss and address the opportunities and difficulties faced by multinationals in promoting productive employment and encouraging the participation of local businesses in their supply chains and in Kenya.

Organizer: Kenya Association of Manufacturers (KAM); Institute for Development Studies (University of Nairobi) and African Studies Centre (Leiden Univeristy)