Nairobi, April 28, 2011, Kenya’s largest cement maker Lafarge Bamburi Cement has today signed a partnership with the Kenya Tourist Development Corporation (KTDC) to promote conference tourism at the coast.

The partnership will see Bamburi Lafarge Cement lease land to KTDC to facilitate the development of an ultra-modern Convention Centre that will host international conferences and events.

Tourism minister Hon. Najib Balala who was the chief guest at the signing ceremony at the Serena Hotel, hailed the partnership saying it would a go a long way in boosting conference tourism in Kenya.

The minister added that time has come for the tourism industry to explore new opportunities and diversify its revenue streams. “We need to look at such as conference tourism as opposed to relying entirely on the traditional beach and safari products,” said the minister.

Kenya has huge potential for business and conference tourism owing to its location and positioning as the regional hub.

“This demand has created the need to develop a world class Convention Centre. The selection of Mombasa, and in particular the Bamburi Cement quarries is a testimony to Kenya’s commitment in promoting environmental conservation,” said KTDC Managing Director, Mrs. Marianne Jordan.

Bamburi quarries, located along the Mombasa- Malindi Road are ideal since they blend well with the proposed theme of building an environmentally friendly conventional centre. The firm started to rehabilitate the quarries in 1971. The conservation project is among the most successful in the country and boasts 200,000 visitors each year.

Bamburi Cement Managing Director Hussein Mansi said the partnership demonstrated Bamburi’s commitment to the growth of the Kenyan economy. “This new partnership with KTDC represents another significant milestone for us. We are also proud to be contributing to the realization of the Vision 2030 economic blueprint,” said the MD.

The development of conference tourism at the coast is expected to have significant multiplier effect including creating thousands of jobs and development of infrastructure.

For more information contact:

Emily Waita
Group Corporate Affairs Manager 020 289 3000 [email protected]