Kenya International Industrial Expo (KIIE) formally kicks off in Nairobi

By Remie OTIENO

The 5th Kenya International Industrial Expo (KIIE) formally kicked off on Friday at Sarit Expo Centre, Nairobi.

Organized by Afripeak Expo Kenya Limited in partnership with Kenya Investment Authority and Kenya National Chambers of Commerce & Industry – the three day event themed ‘Driving Growth in Kenya’s Manufacturing Sector through Technology and Partnerships’ is expected to boost trade partnerships between Chinese and Kenyan firms.

Richard Ngatia, the President of the Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry, (KNCC&I) the exhibition is expected to contribute to the Kenya government’s Big 4 Agenda by providing trade and technological exchange opportunities between Kenya and the world.

“We are using this expo to create markets for our Avocado farmers here in Kenya but also markets for local manufactured products. We plan to have Kenyans exporting avocados in 2022. Kenya’s exports to China have grown by almost 9.3 percent in the past five years even with the latter’s contracts. We anticipate the total exports to increase by the end of 2022,” offered Ngatia.

Despite the trade deficit between Kenya and China, over 20 local enterprises are seeking to strike new partnerships with their Chinese counterparts at the 5^th expo.

“Positioning Kenya as a manufacturing hub for Africa is our main goal and we believe that Chinese technology will be vital in realizing this dream. China now is ready to help increase the added-value and competitiveness of Kenya Products and the objective of the expo is set to provide a unique platform to fulfil this goal,” comments Pius Rotich, Team leader of the Investment Promotion Department at the Kenya Investment Authority.

.The Expo comes at a time when the new administration’s economic blueprint is anchored on a Bottom UP model to grow the country’s GDP.

“We recognize and pledge to support the current government’s Bottom-Up Economic Model offering a platform for both local and international business communities to share technological advancements and boost local production capability to match the international standards through a partnership with stakeholders,” Gao Wei, Managing Director, Afripeak Expo Kenya Limited, who hinted at the need to link local enterprises to better technology as a way of enhancing their productivity.

The 5th edition of the expo focuses on industrialization. The exhibition portfolio includes General Machinery, Construction Machinery, Hardware & Tools, and Solar & New Energy products, Auto Parts, Chemical Products, Medical Equipment, among others.

In addition, according to our statistics, over the past four years, our exhibition has received more than 4,800 professionals and merchants from Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda and other countries, with a turnover of around USD20 million. Based on these, we could foresee a greater performance this year.

The Expo is also expected to provide a unique platform for both government and private sectors from the two countries to cooperate on Agriculture, Manufacturing, Healthcare and construction which are the key sectors of priority for the Kenya Government with great socio-economic impact to Kenya.

This year, 22 Kenyan companies dealing in Tea, coffee, Avocados and flowers will exhibit and use this platform to look for partners and new markets in China.