Kenya pushes to be Africa’s premier GBS hub
NAIROBI, KENYA — Kenya’s national investment promotion agency and the country’s outsourcing industry body signed a formal cooperation agreement on August 4, 2026, aiming to position Kenya as Africa’s leading global business services (GBS) hub and attract $10 billion in foreign direct investment while creating 100,000 new jobs in the sector.
The agreement commits both organizations to joint marketing of Kenya as a business process outsourcing (BPO) destination and to streamlining the investor journey for global operators.
Agreement sets joint framework for Kenya GBS market development
According to Invest Kenya (the Kenya Investment Authority) and the Outsourcing Alliance of Kenya (OAK), the cooperation agreement creates a structured partnership between Invest Kenya and OAK for joint marketing, investor facilitation, and policy alignment around Kenya’s outsourcing sector.
Kenya’s BPO sector generated approximately $270 million in revenue in 2025, with projections pointing to $1 billion by 2030 as global buyers seek delivery alternatives beyond established South and Southeast Asian hubs.
The agreement follows Kenya’s adoption of a National BPO Policy and the establishment of a Cabinet AI Committee, both on June 30, 2026, signaling a coordinated government approach to high-value GBS investment.
“The signing of this agreement marks an important milestone in advancing Kenya’s ambition to become Africa’s leading Global Business Services hub. Through this collaboration, we are not just marketing our investment opportunities; we are actively streamlining the investor journey,” said John Mwendwa, CEO at Invest Kenya.
Kenya signals unified front to global outsourcing buyers
Kenya’s $10 billion foreign direct investment target and 100,000-job creation goal give the Invest Kenya-OAK partnership a clear performance mandate against which both organizations will be measured.
The country’s BPO sector growth target of $1 billion by 2030 represents a nearly fourfold increase from its 2025 revenue base, requiring sustained acceleration in enterprise client wins and service delivery capacity.
OAK interim CEO Jonathan Beardsley said the agreement signals to the global market that Kenya is operating with a unified front, not just marketing a destination but systematizing the investor journey.
Kenya’s geographic position, English-language capacity, and improving technology infrastructure give it distinct advantages in attracting BPO investment from European and United States buyers seeking delivery alternatives beyond South and Southeast Asian hubs.
The formalization of the Invest Kenya and OAK partnership reflects a broader East African outsourcing trend, where coordinated government and industry positioning has become a competitive prerequisite for enterprise mandates.
For buyers evaluating top BPO companies in emerging markets, Kenya’s policy momentum and 2030 revenue trajectory are measurable indicators of market readiness.
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Disclosure: Outsource Accelerator uses AI tools in the backend of its editorial workflow. Every article is reviewed and verified by a human editor before publication.
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