Vietnam Gas President Doanh Chau has recounted how his friend was locked out of a housing project in Kenya.
In a series of posts on his LinkedIn account in April 2024, Chau revealed that he brought a friend to Kenya to seek opportunities to undertake a project in Kenya.
However, in the process, the friend encountered several obstacles, including prolonged negotiations for the deal.
Ultimately, the investor was also sued, further, attracting blacklisting by Kenya authorities.
"I actually brought him (Mr. Hải) to Kenya for construction opportunities. He spent 12 months negotiating a housing deal I could’ve closed in a day—if only he’d listened to my advice," he wrote.
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"Now, sadly, he’s barred from entering Kenya due to multiple lawsuits against him by local parties for breach of contracts. Very disappointed!"
Chau went viral on Friday after he lamented how poor leadership in Africa, including Kenya, had locked out potential investors.
In the case of Kenya, he expressed that some leaders in Africa were full of polished talk with zero execution.
"Kenya’s real problem is not a lack of money or talent. It’s the absence of long-term vision and the dominance of short-term gain. Leaders talk big, but systems don’t move. They wait for outsiders to bring business, rather than build an environment for it," read the post in part.
"The biggest indicator? Electricity. Vietnam: 100 million people, over 70 GW of power. Kenya: 50 million people, only 4 GW. This is not a side issue—it’s the foundation of economic development. No investor will build a factory where the lights flicker every day. Vietnam knew this. It built power generation before free trade zones, and now it’s a global export hub."
