Philippines BPO firm sets up base in Athi River

Kenya’s bid to create thousands of jobs in the business process outsourcing (BPO) has received a boost after an international provider of onshore and offshore outsourcing services set up operations in Kenya.

Philippines-based BPO firm, ADEC Group, will officially start operations at its Athi River-based offices next week on Wednesday.

ADEC Group, which has operations in 11 other countries including United States, United Kingdom, Australia and Asia Pacific is tapping into the East African market through the Kenyan office to serve a growing number of multinationals that have set shop in the region.

“We are pleased to start our operation with over 60 employees at Athi River EPZ, Machakos County, ramping up to 150 employees within the year with the projection of 2,000 employees in the next five years,” Pravin Eazhawa Site Director, ADEC Kenya, said.

“ADEC is committed to turn Kenya as the next BPO hub by sharing its best practices that has made it one of the largest BPO company in Philippines.”

Lucrative destination

Eazhawa said ADEC, whose core business is targeted at multinationals and large firms in both the private and public sector, will be investing in Sh150 million every year for next five years.

“We are proud to be associated with the new phase of enthusiasm and growth prospect seen in the BPO sector in Kenya,” he added.

“There is no other destination that matches Kenya as the next best in Africa, be it human capital, technology, space, transport and more importantly favourable weather conditions. Kenya stands out.”

He says with proper and adequate focus by the Government to make the country a lucrative destination, there is no reason why Kenya can’t topple Philippines or India to become the next preferred destination in the world.

The firm’s Global Chief Compliance Officer Anthony Catajan says the talent resource in Kenya is in abundance and this is a major asset to help grow the sector.

“The Government and ICT Authority should work hand in hand along with other players to showcase to the world what Kenya has to offer as the destination of choice. The only way this will be possible is to sell Brand Kenya as the next BPO hub,” he said.

In the BPO market, Kenya has a comparative advantage due to low labour rates for high quality services and a high number of graduates.

ADEC Kenya is betting on data storage and document management, targeting at a wide range of sectors, such as manufacturing, finance and energy.

By outsourcing, companies can focus on their core business for increased efficiency and profitability.

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