Taita taveta: Taita Taveta County is set to unlock financing for key infrastructure and industrial projects following its participation in the Go Blue Green Bond Financing Framework Workshop convened under the Jumuiya Ya Kaunti Za Pwani (JKP).

According to Kenya News Agency, the County, through the Taita Taveta Investment and Development Corporation (TTIDC), secured USD 1.1 million in project preparation support from the Africa Legal Support Facility and the Global Infrastructure Facility (GIF) to undertake a feasibility study for the Njoro Kubwa Bulk Water Supply Project. The study will determine the project's viability under a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model, a financing approach increasingly being adopted to bridge infrastructure funding gaps at the county level.

In a related development, TTIDC has obtained both county and regional approvals to conduct a feasibility study for a 50-megawatt solar power project in Voi, aimed at expanding renewable energy access and supporting the county's industrialisation agenda. Other priority projects identified by the county include the establishment of a macadamia processing plant in Wundanyi, a rice milling facility, and the completion of the banana processing plant in Taveta.

Speaking during the workshop, TTIDC Acting Chief Executive Officer Richard Kibengo said the county's project pipeline is aligned with national development priorities under the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA). 'These projects are designed to deliver impact beyond Taita Taveta by contributing to regional economic growth within the coastal bloc while laying the foundation for industrial development,' said Kibengo. He added that the broader infrastructure plan also includes wastewater management systems, freshwater resource development, and the establishment of fish landing sites at Lakes Jipe and Chala to support the blue economy.