@dunkang I do agree with you, the goverment can only do so much, it cant force people to fend for themselves or forcing them to put in the labour and time like in colonial times.

I came across this interesting article abt the land rush in Africa by private corporations who are setting up large scale farms on leased land and it shows how after the 2007 spike in oil prices investors "went shopping" for land for agriculture due to the increase in food prices. If i could quote part of the article "agcapita claims that private equity funds had line up more than $2billion to invest in farmland" mind you this was 3 years ago.

This article focuses on Dominion Farms Ltd which has leased 17,000 acres of land in Yala Swamp for agriculture for 25 years with the option of extending it for another 20 years. Though the company is decreasing our dependancy on importing rice and is actually also exporting it,the company is a subsidiary to an american company and at the end of the day the money doesnt stay within the country.

They pay an annual rent fee of $140,000 (for 17,000 acres) and apart from rice it should be noted that they are the main contract supplier for the government’s fish farming ESP programme (last i heard 1.6B was put into the fishing sector for distributing fingerlings to farmers)and with increased projected growth of this sector that annual fee is nothing but a small dent to the expected earnings over the 25-45 years and oh yes while at it build a couple of schools, clinics and pay people a hundred or so people less than $3 a day.

Looking at the BRICS group of nations which are emerging improved agriculture has been key esp in Brazil, once Kenya can stop importing GMO maize and be self sufficient in food production by changing our ideologies on farming i.e using new technical ways to grow crops and overall become a net exporter can in my own opinion say that we are developing......(my 2 shillings take)

here are the articles:

http://www.businessweek....158038757158_page_2.htm

http://www.businessdaily...-/12yedopz/-/index.html

Where Kenya beats her neighbours is in manufacturing. You will be surprised at how we export basic commodities like salt, tissue paper, cooking fat, washing detergents, match sticks (oh yessss) to countries like Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda and Tanzania. Visit Kampala Coach stage, Transluxe and Scandinavian Bus companies premises and see these goods being declared as they are parked into buses ......

@eboomerang the tiger countries are a great study of how a country can turn its economy around and become a force to reckon with!!!! am really impressed with the fact that as of 1997 Korea had a literacy rate of 95%!!!!! That was defiantly a good read and I do agree with you education is key and as u said “the most sustainable growth model for a country should be largely organic.”


Looking at the vision, we have defiantly started in the right direction and there is no doubt in my mind that we are headed for great things, I do however have a particular problem with Konza city because some of the ideas stated are dependant on external factors case and point being International Companies coming to set up shop.


We need organic or should I say home grown companies to lead the technology park and not wait for foreign companies. Look at TZ and how they have reacted to Konza with their intention to build Raphta City(which my view is somewhat of a copy of Konza). Rwanda is also looking to become an ICT powerhouse and the growth rate expected within the next 10 years they will defiantly be competition. Angola have also hinted at the creation of a technological city and with the recent oil find of their shores its safe to say some of the funds will be channelled to it.

Now if all these countries are looking at international companies to set up shop in their “new cities”, the amount of competition might prove to be a barrier for Konza unless as I stated earlier we set up organic companies and fund local ideas/solutions that could potentially be used worldwide. I don’t have to mention already existing ideas like MPesa and the various mobile applications that are coming up from IHub.

Here are a couple interesting links:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RmVgclo5FnI - 750 acres in TURKANA!!!! which cost approximately 3.5 million from FAO and we are busy importing GMO maize???????? @ggk maybe things are changing
:)

TZ replies to Konza City: http://www.techmtaa.com/...-city-with-raphta-city/

Konza City master plan: http://www.konzacity.co.ke/?page_id=2193