The County Government of Nakuru is partnering with Israel in various key sectors as one way of improving the livelihoods of the residents.
The alliance is geared towards promoting trade and investment opportunities as the devolved unit eyes increased agricultural exports.
Speaking after holding deliberations with a delegation from Israel, Deputy Governor Dr David Kones said the collaboration between the County Government of Nakuru and Israel was further targeted at boosting water technology, agriculture, health among other sectors.
The Israel delegation was led by Israeli Ambassador to Kenya, Mr Gideon Behar.
“Our relationship with Israel envisions the establishment of a Nakuru-Israel AgriTech Demonstration and Training Farm that would serve as a learning hub for local farmers, professional Exchange Programs that would provide opportunities for Nakuru experts to train in Israel and partnerships to enhance water harvesting, purification, and efficient irrigation, specifically targeting the county’s arid and semi-arid lands (ASALs),” stated the Deputy Governor.
Dr. Kones encouraged the Israel government to venture into ecotourism and other sectors in the county with the aim of improving the collaboration. Kenya is Israel’s fourth largest trade partner in sub-Saharan Africa, according to Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics.
The Deputy Governor thanked the Israeli Government for partnering with Nakuru County and highlighted additional opportunities for collaboration, particularly in empowering Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) and training women and youth in Information Communication Technology.
He said the country had technological challenges in implementing some projects, adding that the expertise from Israel would help them achieve the much-desired goals.
Mr Kones said a cordial relationship between Nakuru and the Israeli government will also see the county get value-added factories and advance its agriculture technology. “We invite Israeli investors to come and establish value-added factories in Nakuru. The core of our relationship is expanding opportunities for economic growth and creating jobs for the youth,” he added.
Mr Behar welcomed the co-operation, adding that her country was willing to support Kenya’s growth. “We are happy to be here and we want to nurture this partnership,” he said.
He emphasised that the Israeli mission is dedicated to “Agritech” transfer and will continue to facilitate capacity building through MASHAV (Israel’s Agency for International Development Cooperation).
Also present were County Executive Committee Member for Agriculture Mr Leonard Bor, his Water, Environment, Energy, Climate Change, and Natural Resources counterpart Dr Nelson Maara and Chief Officer for Resource Mobilisation Dr Victor Achoka among other county officials.
Mr Behar stated that the Israeli Government is committed to assisting Nakuru County in reducing child malnutrition and providing technical teams to support agriculture and the school feeding programme. “We aim to partner with students in Nakuru to help them implement agricultural projects,” he stated.
The envoy said Israel will promote investment opportunities available in Nakuru especially in agriculture and partner in mobilising Israeli firms’ investments in the region.
He indicated that his county recognised Kenya as a vibrant economy and critical trade partner. He added that Kenya was playing an important role in the global economy.
Nakuru is banking on direct sales of its farm produce to foreign markets and value addition to boost her revenue base. The devolved unit is one of the leading producers of potatoes, milk, cut flowers, vegetables, avocados among other cash crops.
Mr Kones has previously challenged farmers to move from subsistence farming and penetrate the high-value export market, besides joining cooperatives to access services and market their produce.
By Jane Ngugi
