The advent of devolution presents a huge opportunity for economic growth and developmentdriven by intra and extra county trade. In the County Government of Makueni (CGM), theDepartment of Trade, Industry, Marketing and Tourism and Cooperative Development ismandated to develop and enhance trade and investment opportunities in the County for improvedlivelihoods. Trade and investment play a key role in reducing poverty and improving thelivelihoods of the people in Makueni.The strategic location of Makueni County along major infrastructure corridors connectingNairobi and Mombasa Cities presents a huge and unexploited trade and investment potential. TheStandard Gauge Railway (SGR), The Nairobi-Mombasa highway and major power transmissionlines are key infrastructural installations, which in addition to the expansive and relatively flatterrain land present opportunities for investment. Moreover, the high potential for agriculturalproduce and related products present an opportunity for agricultural value addition and trade.The major products traded are livestock and related products, fast moving consumer goods aswell as fresh produce including fruits, vegetables and cereals.Despite the potential for trade and investment, inadequate trading policies and related regulatoryframeworks have impeded trade and trade facilitation in Makueni County. Against thisbackground, the gap in policy and regulatory framework, presents an opportunity to identify andimplement strategies that will lead to full exploitation of the trade and investment potential in theCounty.This policy identifies key challenges facing the sector and spells out specific interventions toaddress them as well as presenting a raft of measures that will strengthen our institutionalcapacity and put in place mechanisms for coordinated approaches in developing the sector. Thepolicy was developed in close consultation with various National and County governmentagencies as well as development partners hence it recognizes the role each of these stakeholdersplay in effectively addressing the trade and investment needs of the County. It finds anchorage inrelevant National and our County laws and legislation and is aligned to the wishes andaspirations of our development partners and stakeholders. The policy further provides for a clearmechanism in coordination of County agencies in addressing the trade and investment agenda.Going forward, it is expected that all efforts in tackling trade and investment matters will beharmonious and focused to deliver more and better results. Being an output of a comprehensiveand consultative process, the Makueni County Trade and Investment Policy aims to meet andeven exceed the needs and expectations of all involved in achieving the set goal.The policy measures set out in this policy are a commitment to uplift the County to growth andprosperity and shall be a call to duty for the concerned staff. I congratulate all those who spendlong hours in researching and putting this document together. It is now time to get to work andturn the policy pronouncements into solid action for the transformation of Makueni County.

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