The resort town of Malindi is hosting over 400 delegates of Kenyan investors living in the Diaspora who are planning to build the first-ever green city in Africa in Magarini subcounty of Kilifi county.
Already, most of the delegates have arrived ready for the three-day event, which will also bring in experts to train them on the best way to develop the Proximity City of Returns.
Among the key speakers in this year’s conference that will be held at the Diamond Dream of Africa group of hotels in Malindi are Colour Coded Labs CEO Doug McCollough, an African American from Ohio, USA, who is an expert in city development and jetted into the country on Wednesday evening.
McCollough, together with other delegates, was received by Prof Lucas Njenga, Proximity Point Group Chief Executive Officer, at the Malindi International Airport ahead of the conference and a tour of the 40,000 acres of land acquired in Kanyumbuni in Magarini subcounty.
The proximity City of Return will have an agri-city, an industrial park, and beach resorts.
Prof Njenga said they intend to build the first green city in Kenya and are now finalising the process of completing payments for the acquisition of the over 40,000 acres in Magarini.
“The Proximity City of Return is a project for Kenyans in the Diaspora who feel that they want to resource economic growth and development in Kenya by investing. We have between us an estimated 40,000 acres, some of which we are doing agricultural activities and others that are earmarked for city development,” he said.
Njenga said in their plan they have set up a Special Economic Zone where they are going to put up factories and have residential, entertainment, and institutional zones that will have universities, hospitals, and schools, among other investments.
He said they invited McCollough who is an expert in city development using modern technology, to train the delegates to bring in the ideas of developing a smart city.
He is here to give us insights, wisdom, and knowledge of how a city like Malindi and the Proximity City of Returns could be smart cities.
Njenga said Malindi is a nice destination for investment due to its closeness to the Indian Ocean and near the airport, which makes it easy for visitors to access.
He said in Malindi there was a mix of investment opportunities where one could invest in the tourism sector and the agricultural sector.
Maryanne Geotz, Director Animal Conservancy Proximity Point Group, who lives in the US, said they were keen to learn how to develop a smart city even before the groundbreaking ceremony.
