As the current financial year kicks off, business leaders are diverting their attention to high-impact projects for mutual benefits.

Organisers of the 2025 Business Ecosystems Summit (BES), an investment forum uniting business, investors, and policymakers, are advocating for investors to channel their capital into projects, especially through the public-private partnerships (PPPs) model.

Currently, the government is banking on the model to finance its major projects across the country, owing to the limited fiscal space that the country operates in.

This is also in a bid to counter the risks associated with the over-reliance on external financing, which are vulnerable to foreign exchange fluctuations that may further impact public debt.

Speaking at a press conference ahead of the Summit scheduled for August 6, 2025, to August 8, 2025, in Kisumu, Victor Nyagaya, CEO of the Lake Region Economic Bloc (LREB), emphasised the importance of strategic PPPs and regional cooperation in building resilient economies, especially across western Kenya and beyond.

He noted that PPPs are key to achieving the region’s development goals and that they, the leadership, are currently keen on creating a conducive investment environment that is complete with harmonised policy frameworks, streamlined approvals, and strong accountability mechanisms.

“Let us form partnerships that deliver clean energy to homes, fund climate-smart irrigation, build innovation hubs, create circular waste solutions, grow the blue economy, and transform lives in the bloc and beyond,” said Nyagaya.

Mathew Ochieng Owilo, the Deputy Governor of Kisumu County, highlighted the county’s investment readiness across multiple sectors, saying that Kisumu is ready for business.

“With Lake Victoria as a gateway to East Africa, we are strategically positioned to grow regional trade, attract global investment, and drive innovation across key sectors like blue economy, logistics, tourism, and agribusiness,” he said.

Organised by The IMC People, the 2025 Business Ecosystem Summit is set to convene stakeholders, including investors, government leaders, MSMEs, financial institutions, innovators and development partners for three days of deal-making, policy engagement, and marketplace exhibitions.

Building on the success of BES 2023, which facilitated over $ 400 million (Ksh51.6 billion) in capital flows and supported large-scale MoUs, including a $3 billion (Ksh387 billion) agreement between the Government of Kenya and Afreximbank, BES 2025 now aims to unlock more investment in private and public sector businesses.

“BES 2025 is about designing the future of business ecosystems in Africa. We are not reinventing the wheel through the Summit. We are simply greasing it for faster movement through practical partnerships and driving sustainable policies,” Jeanette Oromo, CEO of The IMC People, said.