Identify and define the export activities within your community/region/town. Explain what economic activities drive your economy. What are the advantages in your community? What are the risks in your community?
Appraisal Real Estate
Advantages and Risks
Advantages
| Strategic Advantage | Description |
| Strategic Regional Location | Kisumu is a key commercial and transport hub connecting to neighboring East African countries like Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, and Burundi via Lake Victoria, road networks, and air links. |
| Transport Hub | The county benefits from an upgraded Kisumu International Airport with new cargo/cold storage facilities, an inland port on Lake Victoria, a railway terminus, and improved road networks. |
| Abundant Natural Resources | The presence of Lake Victoria (fisheries, water transport), fertile soils (for large-scale sugarcane and rice farming), and two rainy seasons per year provides a strong base for agribusiness. |
| Skilled Workforce | The region has a large pool of educated and skilled manpower from local universities and vocational institutions. |
Sample Answer
The economic profile provided is for Kisumu County, Kenya, a major commercial hub and inland port city on the shores of Lake Victoria.
Export Activities
Kisumu's export activities primarily revolve around its abundant agricultural and fisheries resources, increasingly supported by improved transport infrastructure. Export activities are defined as the commercial process of shipping goods and services produced within the county to markets outside its borders, including other parts of Kenya, the East African Community (EAC), and international destinations.
The main export commodities include:
Fish and Fish Products: Commercially viable species like Tilapia and Nile Perch are exported, both fresh and processed. Fish processing plants contribute to this.
Fresh Produce (Horticulture): This includes a variety of crops, with recent efforts focusing on air freight exports of commodities like avocados, chilies, pepper, mangoes, pineapples, and traditional green vegetables.
Processed Agricultural Goods: This primarily includes sugar and its by-products (like molasses and spirits from sugarcane) and rice from the extensive Kano Plains.
Commercial Crafts and Handicrafts: Items such as tailoring, handicrafts, and boatbuilding products contribute to the smaller-scale exports.
Economic Drivers
Kisumu County's economy is primarily driven by three major sectors: Services, Agriculture, and Industry/Manufacturing, with the Services sector contributing the largest share to the county's Gross Value Added (GVA).