KGBS green expo 2025 champions climate-resilient investment

The Kenya Green Building Society (KGBS), in partnership with KCB, has opened the annual KGBS Conference & Green Expo 2025 at the Emara Ole Sereni Hotel in Nairobi.

The two-day flagship event is running under the theme: “Kenya’s Climate-Resilient Innovation: A Gateway for Investment in Real Estate, Infrastructure, Heritage, Nature, and Tourism.”

The conference aims to highlight Kenya’s leadership in climate-resilient and investment-ready urban solutions, while positioning the country as a regional hub for green real estate, sustainable infrastructure, climate-smart tourism, nature-based solutions, and the preservation of cultural heritage.

“We are bringing together public and private sector players to showcase local innovations, particularly those driven by counties, youth, and women while fostering cross-sector collaboration through business-to-business engagement and investment matchmaking,” said KGBS CEO Nasra Nanda.

The event has convened more than 200 stakeholders drawn from the built environment, including government officials, policymakers, researchers, entrepreneurs, and sustainability experts.

Delegates include representatives from the National and County Governments of Kenya, Kenya Development Corporation, Business Finland, HFC, ALN Kenya, Mapei EA, Daikin, and Gatsby Africa, among others.

Annastacia Mutai, Managing Director at KCB, underscored the urgency of addressing climate challenges: “Kenya stands at a crossroads. We can either see climate change as a constraint on growth or as an opportunity to reimagine our future.”

She noted that with a roadmap to decarbonize buildings by 2030, the country faces a financing gap of about Ksh.180 billion, equivalent to US$1.4 billion.

Mutai emphasized the need for broad-based collaboration across government, private sector, development partners, and communities to mobilize strategic partnerships and direct investment into green growth sectors.

Senior Presidential Advisor Ibrahim Rashid Ahmed reaffirmed the government’s commitment to climate-smart development, citing measures such as updated Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), the Climate Change Act, devolved climate finance, and green bonds as tools to support the agenda.

A central feature of the Expo is a showcase of six thematic pavilions focusing on Kenya’s green transition. These include: the Country & Subnational Pavilion, the Green Developers Pavilion, the Green Materials, Manufacturers & Circularity Pavilion, the Youth, Gender & Community Innovation Pavilion, the Green Finance & Industry Pavilion, and the Nature, Heritage & Tourism Pavilion.

In her keynote session, Nasra remarked: “Kenya has demonstrated that leadership from the Global South is possible. The challenge now is to ensure that this leadership results in resilient communities, decarbonized cities, and a lasting legacy of sustainability for future generations.”

Through these curated sessions, the KGBS Conference & Green Expo 2025 seeks to establish Kenya as a leading destination for climate-smart, inclusive, and culturally rich urban development, while advancing resilience and sustainability for Africa and beyond.