Kenya attracts new brands but growth path for strong manufacturing base rocky

Kenya, like other nations in a continent that boasts some of the fastest growth rates in the world, is racing to upgrade neglected infrastructure, improve regulations and revise often outdated economic figures to spur investment. For some, there are echoes of the start of Asia’s rise.

But Kenya’s challenges, many of which are mirrored across Africa, are formidable if it wants to build on recent gains. It cannot boast the high savings that helped Asian economies and efforts to attract the kind of industry that will create jobs and boost exports have had mixed results.