ABSTRACT

Countries in East Asia Central America and the Caribbean basin have successfully used Export Processing Zones as an instrument for economic development. Attempts to do the successful. It has been argued that economic theory should lead us to reject Export Processing Zones as a development option. Some blame Africa's lack of adequate infrastructure and services to support the business community. Others blame the ignorance of investors or the lack of indigenous entrepreneurs. Peter L. Waston (2000) visited successful Export Processing and Free Trade zones in Mauritius, Tangiers, Panama and the Dominican Republic to interview investors in the zones, developers of the zones and Government officials in order to determine what were the underlying conditions that resulted in their success. He concluded that, while all of the issues cited above are important, attitudes and culture have also played an important role, i.e., the issue is as much socio -political one as an economic one. There are obstacles to establishing successful Export Processing Zones on the African Continent, but they can be overcome through a better understanding of the essential pre-requisites, their interactions with the rest of the economy and the steps required to establish them. Nevertheless, Africa, with its small markets and (in most cases) limited natural resource base, has no choice but to integrate its economies into the global economies. Export processing zones can be a useful tool for those countries that wish to develop through greater integration with the global economy. This project is a summary of a research carried out in the Kenyan EPZ with a view to ascertain the marketing concepts applied and how effective they are in addressing needs in the EPZs in Kenya.