The Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa has partnered with the Government of Kenya during the 3rd Edition of the Kenya Trade Week which will be hosting the Source 21 COMESA International Trade Fair and high-level business summit this coming week.
The Kenya Trade Week running under the theme “Powering Regional Integration through Trade” is set to take place from 15th to 21st July at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) in Nairobi.
The theme is in tandem with the COMESA trading block which seeks “To be a fully integrated economic community that is prosperous, internationally competitive, and ready to merge into the African Economic Community”.
The much awaited Expo will bring together policymakers and the private sector from the 21 COMESA member states who are the drivers of trade and economic development to deliberate on how to promote and advance cross border trade across this giant economic trading block.
Among the highlights of the Expo will be the presidential public private roundtable where heads of states will interact with business leaders on key strategies to enhance industry competitiveness and formulate strategies to enhance local sourcing and intra-regional trade.
Other activities during the Source 21 Summit themed “The Hallmark of Quality” will include the launch of COMESA Source 21 Handbook and, the 50 Million Women speak initiative which aims at empowering women entrepreneurs by providing financial and non financial information to help them grow their businesses.
The forum will offer a great opportunity for unlimited networking among businesses with opportunities to learn what other industry players are doing through exhibitions and business to business linkages that will create opportunities for businesses to tap into domestic and international markets.
The platform will also address manufacturing competitiveness, digitalization and trade facilitation, digital financial services and regional payment systems, standards and quality issues, smart and sustainable cities and the continental free trade area.
Other areas include some of the key impediments affecting businesses in cross-border trade as well as how to promote industrial growth and competitiveness.
The trade fair will further offer an opportunity to showcase Africa’s trendsetters especially the young minds in business behind African SMEs and entrepreneurships that have developed innovative solutions for the continent.
These include the digitalization of trade and logistics services with an aim at reducing costs and supporting the efficient delivery of goods and services as well strengthening distributional channels across Africa.
In collaboration with Kenya Government and the COMESA Business Council, other supporting organizations include the European Union, USAID, ZEP-RE, MOSANTO, Kenya Airways, Coca Cola, TDB, African Development Bank, Export Promotion Council Kenya and the Kenya Association of Manufacturers among others.
