Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) into the COMESA region hit US$65 billion in 2024 and Kenya ranked among the bloc’s top five destinations.
- •The figures are contained in the inaugural COMESA Investment Report 2025, jointly produced by UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and the COMESA Regional Investment Agency (RIA).
- •COMESA posted a 16% rise in inflows, a sign of deeper investor confidence across multiple economies.
- •Egypt, Ethiopia, Uganda, DRC and Kenya, absorbed 90% of all FDI into COMESA in 2024.
Although the report does not disaggregate country-specific inflows in the press statement, its narrative positions Kenya as an increasingly strategic destination for energy, manufacturing, agribusiness and regional headquarters operations — sectors that remain central to Nairobi’s own economic ambitions.
The report highlights a near-doubling of international project finance across COMESA to USD 79 billion, driven largely by renewable energy, grid expansion and large-scale construction. Kenya is already a recognised regional leader in geothermal and wind power, positioning it to benefit from the growing green-capital pipeline identified in the report.
“These results confirm the growing confidence of global investors in the COMESA region,” said Amb. Dr. Mohamed Kadah, COMESA’s Assistant Secretary General. UNCTAD’s Richard Bolwijn added that the region now has an opportunity to convert momentum into “long-term resilience” through industrialization, SME development and improved connectivity.
