Kenyan
JF-Expert Member
- Jun 7, 2012
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- 314
By Ken Opalo | Standard Media | Friday, May 27th 2016
Lately, there has been considerable hand-wringing over Kenya’s loss of key infrastructure connections with our landlocked neighbours. First it was Uganda choosing Tanzania for their planned oil pipeline to the sea. Then it was Rwanda suggesting that a railway line through Tanzania would be more cost-effective than one through Kenya. For a people used to being the economic titans in the region, these developments came as a negative shock to our national pride.
Suddenly, Tanzania seemed to be outdoing us at every turn. Our collective Tanzania envy hit an all time high. But should we really panic?
The answer to this question hinges on the kinds of policies we adopt as a response. The fact is Kenya’s attractiveness to our landlocked neighbours was never based on the strength of our political leadership in the region. As a country we have always been less ambitious than most about political projects in the region and on the continent, instead choosing to focus on economic integration. It is our unassailable economic dynamism that made us attractive over Tanzania as far as a route to the sea is concerned. Uganda is our biggest trading partner for a reason. For a long time they have been importing our light manufactures.
This is why I am moderately confident that we can weather the current realignments by maintaining our economic dynamism. We have the best human capital in the region. We have the most differentiated economy in the region. And despite the current hiccups, we have the most open political system in the region. All else equal, we are still the place to do business in the region. If we build on these strengths, we will still attract business from our landlocked neighbours.
The only thing that has changed is that we can no longer take our regional leadership for granted. We have to redouble our efforts in economic and political diplomacy.
We must also ensure our lobbying efforts in regional capitals are up to snuff. I was shocked by the fact that our officials appeared blindsided by Uganda’s decision to go with Tanzania. Does that mean that we have no snoops in regional capitals? How did we not see this coming?
We can longer assume our neighbours will engage us out of the benevolence of their hearts. We should not trust them on face value. Instead, we should trust their interests and make sure we design policies that make us attractive to their interests. The fact of the matter is that as the most advanced economy in the region we have a lot to offer.
We can be the regional information technology hub. We can be the regional medical services and research hub. We can make our universities the most sought after in the region and beyond. There is no reason we should cede the competition on offerings in higher education to South Africa.
By being competitive in these areas, we will be attractive not only to governments in the region, but also people of the region. The latter is arguable a more important goal. We will be the true regional leaders when every Eastern African child wants to come study or work in Kenya. This will not only be good for our economy and business, but will also afford us much-needed soft power.
And heaven knows that we need all the soft power that we can get. As the regional economic leader, our neighbours will naturally be wary of our machinations. It is for these reasons that we need to make ourselves as attractive as possible. Crass pursuit of our self-interest will therefore not work. A little humility here, a little long-term strategic planning there, and loads of good faith neighbourliness will go a long way in helping us maintain our regional leadership.
Lately, there has been considerable hand-wringing over Kenya’s loss of key infrastructure connections with our landlocked neighbours. First it was Uganda choosing Tanzania for their planned oil pipeline to the sea. Then it was Rwanda suggesting that a railway line through Tanzania would be more cost-effective than one through Kenya. For a people used to being the economic titans in the region, these developments came as a negative shock to our national pride.
Suddenly, Tanzania seemed to be outdoing us at every turn. Our collective Tanzania envy hit an all time high. But should we really panic?
The answer to this question hinges on the kinds of policies we adopt as a response. The fact is Kenya’s attractiveness to our landlocked neighbours was never based on the strength of our political leadership in the region. As a country we have always been less ambitious than most about political projects in the region and on the continent, instead choosing to focus on economic integration. It is our unassailable economic dynamism that made us attractive over Tanzania as far as a route to the sea is concerned. Uganda is our biggest trading partner for a reason. For a long time they have been importing our light manufactures.
This is why I am moderately confident that we can weather the current realignments by maintaining our economic dynamism. We have the best human capital in the region. We have the most differentiated economy in the region. And despite the current hiccups, we have the most open political system in the region. All else equal, we are still the place to do business in the region. If we build on these strengths, we will still attract business from our landlocked neighbours.
The only thing that has changed is that we can no longer take our regional leadership for granted. We have to redouble our efforts in economic and political diplomacy.
We must also ensure our lobbying efforts in regional capitals are up to snuff. I was shocked by the fact that our officials appeared blindsided by Uganda’s decision to go with Tanzania. Does that mean that we have no snoops in regional capitals? How did we not see this coming?
We can longer assume our neighbours will engage us out of the benevolence of their hearts. We should not trust them on face value. Instead, we should trust their interests and make sure we design policies that make us attractive to their interests. The fact of the matter is that as the most advanced economy in the region we have a lot to offer.
We can be the regional information technology hub. We can be the regional medical services and research hub. We can make our universities the most sought after in the region and beyond. There is no reason we should cede the competition on offerings in higher education to South Africa.
By being competitive in these areas, we will be attractive not only to governments in the region, but also people of the region. The latter is arguable a more important goal. We will be the true regional leaders when every Eastern African child wants to come study or work in Kenya. This will not only be good for our economy and business, but will also afford us much-needed soft power.
And heaven knows that we need all the soft power that we can get. As the regional economic leader, our neighbours will naturally be wary of our machinations. It is for these reasons that we need to make ourselves as attractive as possible. Crass pursuit of our self-interest will therefore not work. A little humility here, a little long-term strategic planning there, and loads of good faith neighbourliness will go a long way in helping us maintain our regional leadership.
