One thousand new jobs will be created when Alltex EPZ Limited completes its Sh214 million (US$2.86 million) phase II expansion project this month.
This garment manufacturing factory at the Athi River Export Processing Zone's has an annual output of 3.5 million garment pieces. It employs 1,200 Kenyans most of whom are women.
The space in the new wing will accommodate 500 of the latest sewing machines for knitting and weaving and create employment for an additional 1,000 people. In addition to the cafeteria, the new service block will also house two modern state-of-the-art machines, a laser spray-painting machine as well as a sand-blasting equipment, and an auditorium for holding meetings and seminars.
Alltex is a joint venture between Industrial Promotion Services (Kenya) Limited (IPS) and Global Readymade Garments Industry LLC of Qatar. IPS is an affiliate of the Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development (AKFED), which promotes private sector initiatives and entrepreneurship through equity investment.
The first IPS companies were established in the early sixties with the primary aim of encouraging and expanding private enterprise in Africa and Asia.