Turkish investors eye Kenyan school sector

The Light Academy in Nairobi
The Light Academy in Nairobi


Date posted: February 25, 2011

MWAKERA MWAJEFA mwajefa@ke.nationmedoa.com and MAZERA NDURYA

mndurya@ke.nationmedia.com

Turkish investors have set their sights on the Kenyan education sector following the success story of a chain of schools in Nairobi and Mombasa.

The four schools, operating under the Light Academy brand, were set up by Turkish businessmen to cater for Kenya’s fast-growing middle class.

The businessmen now plan to establish one more school in Kisumu and a private university.

More than 200 Turkish investors have in the past month visited Nairobi and Mombasa to explore business opportunities.

A representative of the investors, Mr Nejdet Ozer, from the textile rich city of Idenizli, told the Nation in Mombasa that Kenya had unexploited business opportunities.

“The Light Academy schools in Nairobi and Mombasa are some of the projects that show how keen Turkey is in having a bigger presence in Kenya.
“However, we are also looking at investment opportunities in enterprises with the best infrastructure and environment,” he said.

Mr Ozer said Kenya’s position as a regional hub made it attractive for investment, noting that the good relations between the two countries would be an added advantage.

Turkey’s presence is already being felt in real estate through investment in prefabricated houses, the transport and clothing sectors.

In the education sector, Turkish businesspeople have invested more than Sh810 million and this is set to rise when they build a private university “soon”.

Turkish ambassador to Kenya Tuncer Kayalar said investment in Kenya was aimed at promoting bilateral trade.

“Kenya is a fast developing economy and we feel proud to participate in the process of turning round its economy to a middle income one,” he said at the opening of Light Academy in Mombasa at the weekend. The occasion was attended by Prime Minister Raila Odinga.

“Education is a multilateral aspect that should be used to connect people all over the globe,” he said, adding that Light Academy schools offered local and international syllabuses.

Mr Odinga urged investors to take advantage of Kenya’s attractive business climate.

“You can bring your capital and take it out whenever you want,” he said, adding the government had removed all restrictions on foreign exchange.

“Our banking sector is one of the fastest growing in Africa and that is why many banks are bringing their money into our country, into our economy.”

He said Kenya was now a more liberalised economy than South Africa and urged the international community to invest more.

 

Source: Daily Nation , February 22 2011


Related News

Medical professionals sponsor water wells in Africa

A group of medical professionals led by the local Environment and Culture Foundation in Kahramanmaras (a province in Turkey) has contributed to water well campaign by Kimse Yok Mu Foundation. Having seen the movie “Selam”, which was in theaters about five months ago, the medical professionals wouldn’t remain indifferent to the challenges the Dark Continent’s […]

Turkey: A climate of fear; losers in the aftermath of the coup attempt

Turkey at large will lose as Erdoğan chooses the retaliatory path and purges relentlessly, splitting the country into supporters and adversaries. A climate of fear and indignation will envelop not only the many institutions that were hit hard, but Turkey in general, and the Middle East will suffer even further than it is already suffering.

Future’s continent and African renaissance

Over the last three days since Friday, the issues and the glamorous developments of the African continent have been discussed in a hotel along the magnificent Abant Lake. In addition to experts on Africa from Turkey, academics, journalists and statesmen from different countries on this continent have made presentations and discussed a number of issues […]

They want my backing for the enrollment in Turkish schools

FIBA Holding chairman of the board Hüsnü Özyeğin says Turkish Olympiads are more important than international Olympiads, and that foreigners want his backing for enrolling their children in Turkish schools. A group of students currently in Istanbul for the 11th Turkish Olympiads, which was arranged by International Turkish Language Association (TÜRKÇEDER), visited FIBA Holding chairman […]

Extradition of Turkish Citizens: Moldova to pay 125,000 euros in damages for rights violations

Almost one year has passed since seven Turkish citizens working at a high school were extradited from the Republic of Moldova. Since then, their case was brought before the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) and Moldova was forced to pay 125,000 euros in damages for rights violations.

Panel on Middle East perspectives held at Ishik University

TODAY’S ZAMAN, İSTANBUL A panel titled “The Middle East from the Perspective of Intellectuals” was held at Arbil’s Ishik University, Northern Iraq, over the weekend. Around 200 people comprising citizens, academics and students attended the panel discussion, which lasted for four hours. Talking about Turkey’s foreign policy in recent decades, Zeynep Dağı, a professor of […]

Latest News

Fethullah Gulen – man of education, peace and dialogue – passes away

Fethullah Gülen’s Condolence Message for South African Human Rights Defender Archbishop Desmond Tutu

Hizmet Movement Declares Core Values with Unified Voice

Ankara systematically tortures supporters of Gülen movement, Kurds, Turkey Tribunal rapporteurs say

Erdogan possessed by Pharaoh, Herod, Hitler spirits?

Devious Use of International Organizations to Persecute Dissidents Abroad: The Erdogan Case

A “Controlled Coup”: Erdogan’s Contribution to the Autocrats’ Playbook

Why is Turkey’s Erdogan persecuting the Gulen movement?

Purge-victim man sent back to prison over Gulen links despite stage 4 cancer diagnosis

In Case You Missed It

Amnesty International researcher criticizes witch-hunt in Turkey

The dominant assessment in NATO: Turkey’s President Erdoğan staged the coup himself

‘Turkey has become dangerous for us’: Failed coup has some seeking asylum here

Liberia: VP Boakai Breaks Ground for New Light-International Campus

Colours of the World; IFLC Pakistan grand finale

Turkey’s anti-Gulen campaign: Strengthening militants and jihadists

They busted the house of a deceased teacher to take her under custody

Copyright 2025 Hizmet News