26
Sep
Kenyan real estate developers were urged on Wednesday to embrace Chinese innovation to meet the demand of housing in the country.
The Chief Business Officer of the Kenya Commercial Bank (KCB) Samuel Makome said Chinese building efficiency has been tested and proven for its effectiveness in industry-focused technologies.
“Innovation is not about something new, but what has been tried and verified. China has demonstrated that even with low-cost technology, it is still possible to come up with world-class architectural designs,” Makome said in Nairobi.
He was speaking during the KCB Developers Club pre-trip briefing to China that will see a group of over 50 developers travel to the Far East country for a ten-day trip from Oct. 8-18 to experience China’s innovative world-class building technology.
The trip will focus on core themes currently in highest popularity across China, namely, building efficiency, intelligent cities and smart home, industry-focused technologies, and energy management.
The trip, during which the members will sightsee Shanghai and Guangzhou and also attend the 116 Canton Fair, aims at getting exposure to modern construction methods and to discover new building technology and building materials.
“I do hope that this trip to China will be an engaging experience with much to learn. There is an African proverb that says ‘a child who does not step out believes it is only the mother who knows how to cook,'” Makome said.
Members making the trip, the fifth expedition to China, are drawn from various sectors of the real estate industry such as developers, estate agents, architects, engineers, contractors, and quantity surveyors as well as those who provide complimentary services to the real estate fraternity, such as lawyers, valuers and building material suppliers.
KCB Group Mortgages Director Samuel Muturi challenged the developers to discuss the technology they will see in China when they return to Kenya and implement where possible.
“The demand for housing in Kenya has significantly increased and the country alone requires developing about 150,000 new housing units per year to meet the growing demand,” Muturi said.
“However, this figure cannot be met if we don’t go out of our way to embrace other innovations like China’s low-cost technology that has made housing more affordable to the Chinese,” Mutiuri said.
Members of the KCB Developers Club, which was established in 2009, have since had trips to Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, South Africa, Turkey and India.
Source: http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/n/2014/0924/c90777-8787390.html