Team named to revive leather industry

Kenya: The Ministry of Industrialisation and Enterprise Development has unveiled a team to spearhead revival of the leather industry. Cabinet Secretary Adan Mohamed appointed a nine-member taskforce that comprises leading local leather sector players from the private and public sector. The team will serve for a year with a mandate to oversee implementation of the leather development strategy.

Mr Mohamed reiterated the ministry’s push to have the public sector leather needs met by local suppliers and producers.

He said the taskforce will map out avenues to ensure efficient delivery and supply of leather products required by public sector consumers such as the Armed Forces and National Police Service among others.

“This taskforce, has been appointed with a clear brief to share their wealth of experience on how the leather sector can be developed to create jobs,” he said.

New members

Those appointed include; Bata Shoe Company CEO Alberto Errico, Samuel Kiruthu, a director at Leather Technologies and Fashions, Alpharama Limited Managing Director Sambasiva Rao and acting Secretary and CEO at the Kenya Leather Development Council, John Muriuki.

Others are; Director of Industries Erastus Kimuri, veteran Leather Trader Robert Njoka and Sagana Tanneries Executive Director Yassin Awale, Leading leather goods lady entrepreneurs, Nalina Rupani and Mumtaz Mughal, of Leather Life EPZ.

Mohamed said the sector has potential of $630 million (Sh54.8 billion) of the GDP. Despite a heavy demand of up to 28 million units of leather, Mohamed expressed regret that the demand is still served by imported supplies due to an existing deficit of more than 24 million units against the current local supply of less than 4 million units annually.