NAIROBI, Kenya — Dubai-based infrastructure developer Arise Integrated Industrial Platforms (AriseIIP) plans to invest more than $3 billion (about Sh390 billion) in Kenya over the next five years, targeting industrial parks, export zones, and textile manufacturing projects.
An executive at the firm said the investment will fund three industrial and export parks and support the revival of the Rivatex textile company, in a move expected to boost manufacturing and attract foreign investors.
“Our total investment in these projects is going to be upwards of about $3 billion,” said Nikhil Gandhi, AriseIIP’s executive director in charge of special economic zones development, speaking on the sidelines of an investment conference.
Gandhi said the company aims to attract global manufacturers from more than 14 countries to establish operations in Kenya, positioning the country as a regional production hub.
“We are looking to attract global companies from more than 14 countries globally to set up their manufacturing base here,” he said, adding that AriseIIP will provide between 30 and 40 per cent of the funding in exchange for equity stakes in the projects.
The remaining financing will be sourced through debt from development finance institutions and other lenders.
The funds will support two export processing zones along Kenya’s coast, a third facility in Naivasha in the Rift Valley, and investments in the Rivatex textile firm.
AriseIIP is owned by Afreximbank’s private equity arm, the Fund for Export Development in Africa (FEDA), the Africa Finance Corporation, Saudi Arabia’s Vision Invest, and UAE-based Equitane Group.
The company has undertaken similar industrial park developments in Benin and Gabon, with the Kenya plan marking its first major investment in the country.
The developer will also partner with KCB Group and Afreximbank to establish an $800 million financing facility to support investors who will set up operations within the industrial zones once infrastructure is completed.
Gandhi said dozens of firms from China, Lebanon, and India have already expressed interest in setting up manufacturing operations in the proposed zones, although he declined to disclose specific companies.
The planned investment comes as Kenya seeks to attract foreign direct investment to create jobs, expand exports and grow manufacturing under its industrialisation agenda.
Industrial parks are expected to support value addition in sectors such as textiles, minerals processing, and electric vehicle components.
Gandhi added that global supply chain disruptions, including geopolitical tensions and tariff shifts, could shift manufacturing activity toward Africa.
He said Kenya’s location and infrastructure position it to benefit from changing trade patterns.
“People will shift value chains to this continent,” he said, citing textiles, minerals, and electric vehicles as sectors likely to expand. “In the context of where Kenya lies, I can already see a tectonic shift.”
