Tatu City’s owner and developer, Rendeavour, has partnered with the Konza Technopolis Development Authority (KoTDA) to establish an association for Special Economic Zones (SEZs) that aim to catalyse economic development in the country.
The move is aimed at championing economic zone policies and a conducive operating environment for SEZ Enterprises. With these policies, the partnership is expected to attract Foreign Direct Investments (FDI) into the country as well as promoting domestic investment. The engagement will further enable upcoming SEZs in the country to speak with one voice and champion economic development.
Speaking during a courtesy call to Tatu City by KoTDA, Preston Mendenhall, COO Tatu City said, “Konza Technopolis and Tatu City are sister cities charting Kenya’s path toward sustainable urban development and the ease of doing business on the continent. Tatu City is delighted to deepen its engagement with Konza Technopolis by agreeing to establish an association of SEZs dedicated to the country’s economic prosperity and business climate.”
Also speaking at the courtesy visit, KoTDA CEO Eng. John Tanui noted that the engagement propels the joint development of smart cities with a focus on three areas. These are promotion of the cities, promotion of SEZs and the utilization of the cities’ world-class infrastructure, such as the National Data Centre in Konza.
More than 60 companies have already taken up space at Tatu City, 13 of them operating as SEZ Enterprises.
Eng. Tanui said the Authority is already benefiting from the SEZs incentives with over 50 investors earmarked to taking up space at the Konza Technopolis.
The visit was also attended by Arch. Dr. Reuben Mutiso, MBS, Chairman KoTDA, Justus Kariuki, Executive Vice President, Tatu City, and Tito Oduk, Director of Industrial Operations, Tatu City, amongst other distinguished guests.
Both Tatu City and Konza City are building on 5,000 acres, each with mixed-use developments, including homes, schools, offices, medical centres, nature parks, sport and entertainment complexes.
So far, KoTDA’s National Data Centre and Konza Complex are complete while horizontal infrastructure on Phase One is ongoing.