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

CCBT Teaches Turkish in Public School in Rio de Janeiro

The Turkish-Brazilian Cultural Center (CCBT) has been teaching Turkish classes at the State School Infante Don Henrique in the Copacabana neighborhood, Rio de Janeiro, since July 2013. This course has been attracting attention of educators, tourism professionals, journalists and governors from other Brazilian States.

Governor’s office leads raid against Gülen inspired school based on annulled law

The Eskişehir Governor’s Office has stated that an annulled law was mistakenly used in the inspection warrants for Samanyolu Primary School and its high school as well as for a FEM prep school in the province, showing how carelessly the government-orchestrated operations are being carried out against the faith-based Gülen movement, also known as the Hizmet movement.

Turkish citizens keen to return to Yemen after conflict settled

Despite being evacuated from Sanaa only after an almost week-long wait at the capital’s international airport, many Turkish nationals are looking forward to returning to Yemen to resume their educational activities once the conflict currently consuming the country is settled.

Morocco and Turkish schools

Sait Gürsoy I recently went to Morocco, as an Anafen Schools guest with a group of journalists. The aim was to monitor educational and cultural exchanges between the two countries. Under the leadership of my beloved brothers -the schools’ vice general managers, Ismail Efe and Yasin Yucel- we not only had a nice touristic tour […]

Witch hunt continues as police raid Gülen-inspired schools across Turkey

In yet another government-orchestrated operation targeting the faith-based Gülen movement, popularly known as the Hizmet movement, police officers and inspectors from several government bodies carried out raids on private high schools and exam preparation schools across Turkey on Thursday.

Yamanlar Schools students sweep AMC 8

İzmir’s Yamanlar Schools won 18 golden, 25 silver and 17 bronze medals at the recently held 60th Annual International AMC 8 contest, jointly held by Mathematical Association of America (MAA) and University of Nebraska. 350 thousand students from 6 thousand schools in 86 different countries attended the contest online.

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

Post-coup purge in Turkey leaves children parentless after mother and father are put behind bars

Ceremony canceled after Gülen’s relative wins short film contest

Turkish minister: Gülen movement is worse than Nazis

Panicky parents calmed over Feza Schools closure reports

Pregnant woman kept in prison for 4 months over Gülen links despite regulations

Fethullah Gülen’s lawyers fear attacks on his life amid calls for return to Turkey

From Poconos retreat, Muslim cleric Gulen: ‘We will oblige’ if extradited for Turkish coup

Copyright 2025 Hizmet News