Kenya Moves to End Raw Material Exports, Ruto Says
Kenya will no longer allow raw materials to be exported for processing abroad, President William Ruto has announced, as the government pushes for greater local value addition and industrialisation.
Ruto said the new policy means minerals and other raw materials extracted in Kenya must increasingly be processed domestically before being exported to international markets.
The policy is expected to cover resources including gold, limestone, iron ore, graphite, titanium and soda ash. Ruto said local processing would create jobs, strengthen manufacturing and ensure that more wealth generated from Kenya’s natural resources remains in the country.
The announcement follows the government’s recent decision to remove Tata Chemicals from operations at Lake Magadi in Kajiado County. Ruto has accused the company of exporting soda ash without doing enough local processing or creating sufficient economic benefits for the surrounding community. Tata Chemicals has disputed the allegations and said it remains committed to regulatory compliance and dialogue with the Kenyan government.
Ruto has argued that Kenya cannot continue exporting resources cheaply, only to buy back higher-value processed products. The government is therefore seeking investors willing to establish processing and manufacturing facilities inside the country.
The move forms part of a wider push across Africa to shift away from exporting unprocessed natural resources and capture more value through refining, manufacturing and local job creation. Kenya has also been working towards a critical-minerals partnership with the United States that would involve domestic processing.
The challenge, however, will be building the infrastructure, capital and technical capacity required to process these resources competitively at home.
