Siaya: Siaya County will host the Siaya International Trade and Investment Conference (SITICO) 2025 to position the county as an investment and enterprise destination. The event, which will be held between October 14 and 17, is expected to attract both local and international investors, innovators, and policymakers to unlock opportunities in agriculture, the blue economy, value chain addition, and renewable energy.
According to Kenya News Agency, Siaya governor James Orengo revealed during the official unveiling of the SITICO event that the three-day conference will be officiated by President William Ruto. Orengo further disclosed that the theme of the event, 'positioning Siaya as an investment destination: transformative growth through trade and investment,' is anchored in the county's Integrated Development Plan and aligned to Kenya's vision 2030.
He stated that the three-day event will entail keynote speeches and plenaries, sector breakouts and exhibitions, site visits to priority projects, and signature sessions for Public Private Partnership deals. Orengo disclosed that the event will have three pavilions, namely investment, Siaya Energy pavilions aimed at showcasing investment opportunities, and cultural and historic sites as well as energy generation options, respectively.
He stated that the county is endowed with abundant arable land, a dynamic blue economy, and a youthful skilled population alongside a catalogue of profiled projects and investment opportunities that can be exploited by investors. The governor expressed confidence that with favorable ratings from key agencies such as the Controller of Budget and the Ethics and Anti-Corruption commissions that ranked the county highly on indicators of ease of doing business, investors will be attracted to choose Siaya as an investment destination.
Orengo mentioned that Siaya County is currently ranked 3rd by the Controller of Budget as a county likely to pay its contractors, while the anti-corruption agency has ranked Siaya high as a county where one is unlikely to be asked for a bribe. Moreover, the county's expenditure-to-development ratio is noted as a commitment to the development agenda, which is key in attracting and retaining investors.
Orengo urged entrepreneurs, cooperatives, professional bodies, academia, and the diaspora to take advantage of the SITICO platform, not only to exhibit and network but also to help the county realize its objective of catalyzing domestic and foreign direct investments, accelerating enterprise growth, and securing bankable commitments.