Siaya County is ready for multi-billion-shilling investments that are expected to trickle in following the International Trade and Investments conference that kicked off Tuesday, the chairman of the Lake Region Economic Bloc, Victor Nyagaya has said.
According to Nyagaya who is also the chairman of the Siaya International Trade and Investment Conference (SITICO), already several investors have shown interest in the fields of green energy, agriculture and production of biodegradable sanitary towels.
Speaking during a media briefing session at the Siaya National Polytechnic which is hosting the four-day event, Nyagaya said a potential investor has shown interest in putting up floating solar panels in Lake Kanyaboli.
"This will be one of its kind in Kenya and we want Siaya to take leadership in producing power generated from solar panels on water," he said.
He said that another investor from Ethiopia wants to partner with the county government to support menstrual hygiene by producing a 100% biodegradable sanitary towels in Siaya.
Nyagaya said that Siaya was a virgin county when it comes to investment and has plenty of opportunities that can be tapped, compared to other counties.
Addressing the occasion, the County's Executive Committee Member for Cooperative Enterprise and Industrialisation, Grace Agola, said Siaya generates just one percent of the country's GDP.
She said that the county administration, under the leadership of governor James Orengo was committed to reversing the trend to have Siaya contribute more within the next two years.
The CECM for Agriculture, Food Security, Livestock, and Blue Economy, Sylvester Kokoth underscored the county's vast potential in the blue economy, with 1,005 square kilometres of water bodies including Lake Victoria and Lake Kanyaboli.
He said that the county was investing in maritime logistics, aquaculture, tourism, and sport fishing.
President William Ruto is expected to officially open the conference on Thursday.