Dubai-based infrastructure developer AriseIIP has announced plans to invest over $3 billion in Kenya within the next five years, focusing on industrial and export parks as well as the Rivatex textiles firm. The move aims to boost foreign investment and create jobs in the East African nation.
Speaking at an investment conference, Nikhil Gandhi, AriseIIP’s executive director for special economic zones, said the company will provide 30–40% of the funding from its own resources in exchange for equity, with the remaining capital sourced through loans from development finance institutions and other lenders. The investments will target two coastal export zones, a third in Naivasha, and the Rivatex textiles operation.
AriseIIP, owned by FEDA, the private equity arm of Afreximbank, the Africa Finance Corporation, Saudi Arabia’s Vision Invest, and UAE-based Equitane Group, has previously executed large-scale projects in Benin and Gabon, but this will mark its first venture into Kenya.
In addition, AriseIIP, together with KCB Group and Afreximbank, will establish an $800 million facility to support companies that set up operations in the new zones. Dozens of firms from China, Lebanon, and India have already expressed interest.
Gandhi highlighted that global shifts, including the Iran war and U.S. tariff hikes, could benefit African countries as supply chains reorient. “People will shift value chains to this continent,” he said, noting opportunities in textiles, minerals, and electric vehicles. He added, “In the context of where Kenya lies, I can already see a tectonic shift.”
This substantial investment underscores Kenya’s growing appeal as a hub for industrial growth and export-oriented manufacturing.
