President William Ruto says the Kenya Kwanza government will focus on select value chains to grow manufacturing and create employment opportunities.

 During Friday's Economic Dialogue on Value Chains in Nairobi,  Ruto said the identified value chains have significant untapped industrial potential and will create thousands of jobs.

“We see leather, pyrethrum, cotton, textiles and apparel, pharmaceutical, edible oils as value chains whose industrialisation will hasten the attainment of our vision for national economic growth and transformation,” the President said.

Further, he said Kenya’s leather industry is operating well below its potential despite Africa's third-largest livestock population.

“We import shoes worth nine billion every year. Our leather industry has the capacity to deliver 80,000 jobs and 100 billion dollars. This is a gap we must close.”

The President called on county governments and the private sector to join hands to develop these value chains.

The dialogue was attended by more than 20 governors led by Chairperson Anne Waiguru, Investments, Trade and Industry Cabinet Secretary Moses Kuria and the private sector led by KEPSA Chief Executive Officer Carole Kariuki.