The government recently announced that it will not achieve the wealth creation targets of the internationally benchmarked Vision 2030. Kenya now requires a centenary Vision 2063 drafted and executed by a new generation, with expertise from Korea, a country which rose from rags to riches.
There are two reasons for choosing Vision 2063 instead of the proposed Vision 2060. To start with, Kenya will be 100 years old since wresting independence from Britain. Secondly, the AU’s Agenda 2063 endpoint is 2063.
The AU's ambition is to transform Africa into the global powerhouse of the future, with industrialisation as one of the outcomes. This is also Kenya’s aspiration. It would be interesting to compare the convergence.
Why then the Republic of Korea (ROK)? Statistics from the World Bank reveal that in 1963, Kenya’s GDP per capita in current US dollars was $107 (Sh13,878) while that of ROK was $147 (Sh19,066). In 2008, when Kenya embarked on Vision 2030, the ROK per capita was $22,252 (Sh2.9 million), while that of Kenya was $916 (Sh118,814).
The ROK/Kenya ratio had increased from 1.4 times to 24.3. That is telling. Kenya can borrow a leaf from the miracle on the Han River.
One of the ROK’s key success factors, which is rarely mentioned, is the role played by Korean generation 386. These were young people who were in their 30s, who went to university in the 80s and were born in the 60s.
They helped transform the ROK from an authoritarian industrialising country into a democratic and globally competitive advanced economy.
Similarly, Kenya needs generation 391. People in their 30s born in the 90s and who went to university in the 2010s. These are the young people who should craft Vision 2063, and walk the walk through 2063.
Interestingly, Kenya and the ROK are simultaneously preparing their centenary visions: Vision 2063 and Vision 2045 respectively. The ROK’s Vision 2045 is a post-development vision, driven by frontier innovation, while Kenya’s is a catch-up.
This is a perfect opportunity to synergise, because Korea's Vision 2045 will leave the ROK with idle capacities and 386 experts, which can help Kenya to leapfrog.
Vision 2045 has three mega projects: semiconductor supercluster, AI Data Centre and physical AI (robotics). Then there are seven Strategic Emerging Engines for Disruptive Innovation (SEEDs): small modular reactors (SMR), nuclear fusion, next-gen renewable energy, quantum technology, aerospace, advanced biotechnology and critical minerals.
Interestingly, Korea has already started implementing the proposed Vision 2045. During the eighth Korea–Africa Economic Cooperation (KOAFEC) Ministerial Conference, under the theme 'Harnessing AI and Digital Infrastructure for Africa’s Transformation', which was held in Seoul on September 8 to 11, 2026, Korea and the Africa Development Bank (AfDB) signed a Letter of Intent to establish a Korea-Africa AI Hub in Korea.
This is in addition to developing green power for AI and industrialisation, and the launch of K-AI Package. The package provides a more integrated approach combining AI solutions, AI data centres, Economic Development Cooperation Fund (EDCF) infrastructure, and power supply infrastructure.
The question now is, what are Kenya’s priorities which can be paired with the Korean development experience and innovation?
According to Kenya’s Economic Survey 2026, Kenya’s total trade is a meagre Sh3.9 trillion ($30 billion). Imports are Sh2.8 trillion ($21 billion) and exports are Sh1.1 trillion ($9 billion). The trade deficit is Sh1.7 trillion ($12 billion).
The five top imports accounting for 48 per cent of total imports are: petroleum products ($4 billion; Sh518 billion), industrial machinery ($2.7 billion; Sh350 billion), animal/vegetable fats and oils ($1.2 billion; Sh156 billion), iron and steel ($1.016 billion; Sh132 billion) and road motor vehicles ($1.012 billion; Sh131 billion).
From the above analysis, Kenya should prioritise five transformational industries. The first is renewable energy, which qualifies for Korean EDCF and AfDB funding. Adaptation of nuclear and hydrogen technologies will lower energy costs drastically.
The other transformational industries are: precision engineering and industrial machinery production, chemical industries, EV manufacturing and steel manufacturing. Steel forms the skeleton of all sovereign infrastructure. Kenya currently loses vital foreign exchange reserves importing primary steel goods, including billets.
The drivers of these transformational industries should be Kenyan-owned, globally competitive small-sized enterprises (SSE), and Medium-sized enterprises (MSEs). These have been very effective in promoting Korean exports.
The Korean Ministry of SMEs and Startups (MSS) defines these two categories in terms of sales revenue. An SSE is an enterprise that has annual sales turnover of about $9 million (Sh1.2 billion). There are 378,000 of these in the ROK. An MSE has an annual sales revenue of about $109 million (Sh14.12 billion). They have 102,000 of these. They also have 102 large business groups, each with an average annual sales turnover of about $15 billion (Sh1.94 trillion).
Kenya needs to develop 6,000 SSE and 2,000 MSE every year during the life of Vision 2063. We should also nurture about 30 Kenyan multinationals.
By 2063, Kenya should have completed the transition from a consumption and agriculture-led lower-middle-income economy to a high-productivity, export-oriented, industrial, technological and advanced innovation-driven economy.
First Kenyan ambassador to the Republic of Korea, specialist in Korean Peninsula Studies and geopolitical analyst
