Testimony: Jean-Césart Lammert, Director of East Africa at Business France

"There are things that accelerate a country's growth, and new technologies are one of them. But the priority is infrastructure development in general, even though Kenya is already a regional logistics hub with the port of Mombasa and Nairobi airport. While the road and construction sectors are mainly led by Chinese players, as Kenya competes with India, its historical economic partner, other sectors such as water, waste, electricity and urban transport offer numerous opportunities for French companies. Mass retailing and consumer goods also offer good prospects, with a fast-growing middle class. As a result, L'Oréal and Pernod-Ricard have recently established themselves in Kenya, and Carrefour will be opening two hypermarkets in Nairobi next year. Unlike other countries in the region, such as Tanzania, Ethiopia and Uganda, Kenya adopted a market economy as soon as it became independent. Kenya also boasts a solid and dynamic private sector. This explains why companies find a fairly wide choice of quality partners here.