Taita Taveta County has pitched seven mega projects to investors at the 1st Jumuiya Agribusiness and Blue Economy Investment Conference which ended on Tuesday in Mombasa County.
The projects include banana value addition and marketing (banana processing plant and cold storage), Kimundia-Matutani Irrigation and drainage project, installation of fresh water hatchery, increasing fisheries production and processing, enhancement of beef cattle fattening programme through feedlot management, promotion of tourism and mining.
Addressing participants during the conference Taita Taveta County Governor Granton Samboja said the Jumuia ya Kaunti za Pwani economic bloc should tap into the vast resources the region boasts of to improve the lives of the people.
"As a region, we need to tap into the resources we have to change the lives of our people. Apart from JABEC, the counties will showcase their investment opportunities to investors from over 153 countries during the first Global Sustainable Blue Economy conference to be held in 26th-28th November in Nairobi," said Samboja.
His deputy, Majala Mlagui said the County Government is committed to lay the appropriate infrastructure for business and investment to make it easy for people to invest in Taita Taveta County.
During the launch of the two-day conference,President Uhuru Kenyatta encouraged Coastal counties to complement each other rather than competing.
He challenged the Jumuia ya Kaunti za Pwani economic bloc to work together to revive the cashew nuts subsector, coconut and livestock industry.
"You don't need to reinvent the wheel. We were exporting beef through the gulf, which was a major source of gainful employment," said the head of state.
His sentiments were echoed by the Deputy President William Ruto who insisted that failure is not an option since blue economy had already collapsed once.