Real Business Is in Policy (Part III): Coffee, Cash Crops and the Chief
Part III: Kenya’s coffee economy shows that markets are not merely discovered, they are designed through land, labour, licences, chiefs and power.
Read articleInsights
Blog
Commentary on governance, representation and the institutions that shape how we decide together.
Also browse series, topics and contributors. Drafts are excluded.
Topics89 topics
Economic Development×Clear filters
Economic DevelopmentAccountabilityAffordable LossAfrican Knowledge SystemsAfrican Public DialogueAgricultureApprenticeshipBest Practice
81 more topics
Business ModelChiefs’ ActCitizen ParticipationCitizen TVCivic ConstituenciesCivic MovementCo-operative GovernanceCoalitionsCoffeeCommunityCommunity KnowledgeConsentConstituenciesConstitutional ReformConstitutionalismConvivial DemocracyConvivialityCorporate GovernanceCritical ThinkingCrowdfundingCrowdsourcingCustomer Lifetime ValueCustomer OutcomesData GovernanceDecision-MakingDemocracyDemocratic ReformEast AfricaEducationEdwin SifunaEffectuationElections 2027Electoral GeographyElectoral PoliticsElectoral ReformEntrepreneurshipEthnographyFood DistributionGovernanceGovernance ConsoleIndustrial PolicyInnovationKenyaLabourLeadershipLinda MwananchiLived ExperienceLiving Constituency CommonsMovement BuildingMSMENegative EthnicityNext PracticeNominationsOrganizational LearningParticipatory ResearchPaul GilroyPlatform RelevancePlatform StrategyPolitical FinancePolitical PartiesPolitical ReformPolitical RepresentationProcurementPublic AccountabilityPublic ParticipationPublic PolicyReal Business Is in PolicyRepresentationRiskSACCOSkillsSME InnovationSocial CohesionStartupsTacit KnowledgeThe ExplainerThe Map Is Also a BallotThePortalUse JourneyVoter DemographicsWorking Capital
Tagged “Economic Development”6 articles
The Kenya Sugar Belt: Leasing, Capability and the Ledger Nobody Can See
Four state sugar mills were leased, not sold, in May 2025. Farmer payments and milling have improved at some sites; disclosure, worker arrears and creditor claims remain unresolved. This fact-checked case asks whether leasing has produced capability, or only a change of gatekeeper.
Read articlePan Paper Mills, Webuye: Industrial Revival or Industrial Capability?
Pan Paper Mills collapsed in 2009 and failed a state-backed revival in 2010. Since 2016, Rai Group has rebuilt it around recycled fibre. This fact-checked commentary and governance simulation asks what would actually prove capability rather than repeat an announcement.
Read articleThe Magadi Test: When Sovereignty Must Become Capability
Kenya is right to demand more value from Lake Magadi. The real test is whether it can enforce accountability and build downstream industry without replacing one opaque arrangement with another.
Read articleReal Business Is in Policy (Part II): What Kenya’s Post-Vision 2030 Blueprint Could Mean for Enterprise
Part II: Eric Omanga examines President William Ruto’s proposed post-Vision 2030 economic blueprint and asks how national policy can become real markets, enterprises, jobs and public value.
Read articleReal Business Is in Policy (Part I)
The biggest business opportunities often emerge before customers begin buying, when policy defines the rules, redirects money and exposes the solutions society still lacks.
Read article