Sharjah Chamber Organises UAE - Kenya Trade and Investment Forum in Nairobi

Sharjah Chamber’s trade mission to Kenya concluded its visit as part of its African tour, where it organised the UAE - Kenya Trade and Investment Forum in Nairobi.

The forum, which includes the participation of 30 national companies that operate in various manufacturing and industrial sectors such as iron, steel, food, power solutions and electronic devices among others, looks to develop trade relations in Kenya and review the investment opportunities available in both Kenya and the UAE.

The official visit to Kenya was organised as part of the chamber’s strategy to find and develop marketing opportunities for local industries in promising foreign and African markets, and especially in the markets of Kenya and Uganda.

The forum was attended by Abdullah Sultan Al Owais, Chairman of the SCCI; Khalid Khalifa AlMualla, UAE Ambassador to Republic of Kenya; Sheikh Majid Faisal Khalid Al Qasemi, First Vice Chairman of the SCCI; Peter Munya, the Cabinet Secretary for Industry, Trade and Cooperatives in Kenya; Mwangi Kiunjuri, the Cabinet Secretary for Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries; Kiprono Kittony, the National Chairman of the Kenya Chamber of Commerce and Industry; Mike Mbuvi Sonko, Governor of Nairobi City County Government; and Richard Ngatia, Chairman of the Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry - Nairobi County.

The activities of the forum were also attended by Mohamed Rashid Ali Demas and Nasir Musabeh Ahmed Al Tunaiji, Boards members of the SCCI; Abdulaziz Shattaf, Assistant Director-General for Members Services at the SCCI, and representatives of Expo Centre Sharjah, as well as a number of businesspeople and investors from Sharjah, in addition to senior officials from the Kenyan government and a group of Kenyan businesspeople.

Abdallah Al Owais stressed that the meeting held in Nairobi between Sharjah’s delegation and the official economic bodies in Kenya is part of the joint efforts that aim to open the door to more opportunities for investment, trade exchange and fruitful cooperation for both parties.

Al Owais said that Emirati products enjoy unique and competitive advantages in terms of their diversity, quality, high specifications and prices. Emirati business sectors are looking to enhance their presence and distribution in the flourishing markets of Kenya, as well as construct partnerships with the Kenyan business community, exchange investments, promote trade exchanges, provide attractive incentives and activate the means of promotion and marketing of products and investment opportunities that meet the needs of each side.

The private business sector plays an important role in promoting economic relations between countries and supporting various sustainable development projects, he said.

Al Owais expressed the hope that this visit will further develop relations and contribute to the development of prospects, in light of the fact that the volume of exports from the UAE to Kenya has crossed $637 million during 2017, while the UAE’s imports from Kenya reached more than $131 million during the same period.

Al Owais stated that the areas of cooperation between Kenya and both the UAE and Sharjah are promising and varied, especially in the sectors of trade, investment, food security, energy, retail, infrastructure, transport, logistics, agriculture and other fields. He called on the Kenyan business community to invest in the Emirate of Sharjah and to benefit from the volume of support and facilities that the Sharjah Chamber offers to foreign investors.

Ambassador AlMualla praised the development of the relations between the UAE and Kenya, which are progressing steadily due to the attention given by the UAE. Mike Mbuvi Sonko stated that the growing relations between Kenya and the UAE and the trade missions between the two countries resulted in the agreement of the export of fish and poultry feed from the UAE to Kenya in the near future. He stated that this step will contribute to reducing costs on local farmers. He also called on UAE investors to benefit from the many investment opportunities available in Kenya, especially in the sectors of real estate, healthcare, agriculture and manufacturing.

Richard Ngatia pointed out that the UAE is the second largest exporter to Kenya after China, and that tea is considered one of the most important Kenyan exports to the UAE.

During the visit, bilateral meetings were held between businesspeople from both sides, as a part of the agenda of the UAE - Kenya Trade and Investment Forum. The visit also included the organising of a number of field trips to the most prominent economic facilities in Nairobi.

The delegation will continue its African tour by visiting Uganda, whose economy is witnessing a high growth rate, from 12th to 15th December. During this time, the "UAE - Ugandan Trade and Investment Forum" will launch its activities, which will be followed by bilateral business meetings and field trips to a number of economic enterprises in Uganda.