13/03/2026
A few days ago I wrote a post about mangoes.
I did not expect it to spark the level of conversation it did. But that is the power of speaking about real opportunities hidden in plain sight within our agricultural value chains.
One of the people who reached out was Michael Ngugi, and today courtesy of him I had the privilege of visiting the LAPSSET Corridor Development Authority . What followed was one of the most insightful and forward-looking conversations I have had in a long time.
To truly appreciate the opportunity, you have to understand the scale of what LAPSSET represents.
The LAPSSET Corridors is Kenya’s most ambitious infrastructure development programme. It connects on the Indian Ocean coast northward through Kenya to the Ethiopian and South Sudanese borders, covering eleven counties and a 50-kilometre economic zone. With investments exceeding KSh 130 billion, the project includes a deep-water port at Lamu, highways, railways, a Special Economic Zone, resort cities, and supporting logistics infrastructure.
This is not just infrastructure. It is the foundation of regional trade.
The corridor links 🇰🇪 , 🇪🇹 , and 🇸🇸 , creating a new gateway for commerce across Eastern Africa. Roads, ports, railways and logistics systems will determine how efficiently goods, people, and opportunities move across this region.
But one insight stood out clearly during our discussions.
The corridor passes through some of Kenya’s most productive agricultural and pastoral economies. These regions produce mangoes, beef cattle, camels, fish, cereals and horticultural crops at scale. Yet a large portion of this production never reaches formal domestic or international markets.
Not because the produce is unavailable.
But because the systems that connect production to markets are fragmented or missing.
Traceability. Cold chain. Supply chain coordination. Quality certification. Market visibility.
Without these systems, even the most productive regions remain disconnected from the economic value they create.
This is where technology and innovation must step in.
At Learnsoft Beliotech Solutions Limited, we see a powerful opportunity to support this by leveraging digital platforms, automation and artificial intelligence, we can help create systems that bring transparency, traceability and efficiency into agricultural value chains.
Technology can help connect farmers to markets, enable real-time supply chain visibility, improve logistics coordination, and ensure products meet both domestic and global standards.
Farmers gain better market access.
Businesses gain efficiency and predictability.
Investors gain confidence.
And regions that were once economically isolated become active in global trade.
Today’s conversation reminded me that projects like LAPSSET are not just about roads and ports.
They are about unlocking economic potential across entire regions.
And sometimes, all it takes to start the conversation…is a post about mangoes.
Jared Mwanduka
