Dubai: Dubai International Chamber, one of the three chambers operating under the umbrella of Dubai Chambers, has concluded its four-day trade mission to East Africa with a special business forum in Nairobi, Kenya.
The chamber also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry and coordinated more than 250 bilateral business meetings between the 19 Dubai-based companies participating in the mission and their counterparts from Kenya.
The forum was organized by the chamber in collaboration with the UAE Embassy in Nairobi and the Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The event featured speeches by Mr. Mohammad Ali Rashed Lootah, President and CEO of Dubai Chambers; Dr. Salem Ibrahim Al Naqbi, the Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates to Kenya; and Mr. Peter Njoroge, Director of External Trade at the Ministry of Investment, Trade, and Industry of the Republic of Kenya. Mr. Hassan Al Hashemi, Vice President of International Relations at Dubai Chambers, also delivered an informative presentation on Dubai’s economic landscape and outlined the numerous competitive advantages that have contributed to the emirate’s position as a leading global economic hub. The business forum attracted more than 170 participants.
Through our meetings in Nairobi, we aim to diversify the exports of Dubai-based companies to the Kenyan market and help businesses in the emirate establish branches and offices in Africa. This initiative will contribute to achieving the objectives of the Dubai Economic Agenda (D33) and the chamber’s strategic priorities by driving the global expansion of Dubai-based companies. We remain committed to extending all support necessary to further enhance the competitiveness of the emirate’s companies in international markets.
Mr. Lootah shared.
Dr. Salem Ibrahim Al Naqbi, the Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates to the Republic of Kenya, commented that “we are proud of the strategic partnership between the UAE and the Republic of Kenya. Our markets share strong trade ties, with the UAE being a key destination for Kenyan exports and a major source of Kenyan imports, and we are keen to further enhance this relationship. Kenya and the UAE are in talks to remove all barriers to trade, investment, and the movement of goods and people.”
The trade mission is the latest activity under the ‘New Horizons’ initiative spearheaded by the Dubai International Chamber, which is aimed at driving the international expansion of Dubai-based businesses in targeted priority markets.
According to Mr. Peter Njoroge, Director of External Trade at the Ministry of Investment, Trade, and Industry of the Republic of Kenya, the meeting is timely as members of the private sector can take advantage of the growing bilateral trade and create a node-to-node nexus between Nairobi and Dubai for trade and investments between Africa and the Middle East.