The conference will be held in Nairobi from March 23 to 26 and Britain’s former secretary for international development Lynda Chalker is expected to be the chief guest, Nyong'o told a news conference.

More than 400 delegates, including investors from around the world, are expected to attend the gathering, which will also be addressed by Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki.

"In this conference the Kenyan government will provide a forum in which private investors from abroad can see first-hand what opportunities Kenya offers, explore prospects for joint ventures with Kenyan companies and discuss new projects with the government and interested Kenyans," said Nyong'o.

"We hope this conference will produce new investment commitments especially in the areas of infrastructure, processing of agricultural and livestock products and in information technology," he added.