Nairobi, April 29 -- The government's recent announcement of the shift by Kenya from exporting raw minerals toward prioritising local processing is not only timely but also essential.

For decades, Kenya has operated within a model that extracts value from the ground only to export it elsewhere for refinement, manufacturing, and profit realisation.

This approach has limited our economic potential, weakened our industrial base, and denied Kenyans the full benefits of our natural wealth. The government's decision to shift course is therefore a strategic step toward economic transformation.

At its core, this policy recognises a simple truth; the real value of minerals lies not in their raw form, but in their processed and finished states....