About 600 Kenyan Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) are expected to showcase their products at the 26th East African Community (EAC) MSME Trade Fair in Kigali, Rwanda, as they seek export markets, business orders and regional partnerships.
Locally manufactured goods from across the country are being collected for transportation to Rwanda ahead of the October 30 to November 8 exhibition.
Businesses from Bungoma, Kajiado, Kericho, Bomet and Nyandarua are among those participating.
Principal Secretary for MSME Development Susan Mang’eni said the fair would bring together nearly 1,200 enterprises, including 600 Kenyan businesses and another 600 from the diaspora.
“This year we have an increased number of exhibitors, close to 1,200,” Mang’eni said during the flag-off ceremony.
She said previous Kenyan exhibitors had returned from the annual fair with orders and business deals, urging this year’s participants to use the platform to establish lasting relationships with regional buyers.
The exhibition, themed “Advancing Regional Value Chains in Leather and Horticulture,” will feature leather, horticultural produce, edible oils, rice, coffee, tea and construction materials.
Mang’eni said the event would also help Kenyan businesses understand consumer preferences and market requirements in other East African countries, enabling them to adapt their products to regional demand.
Micro and Small Enterprises Authority Director General Henry Rithaa said the fair would provide a platform to discuss non-tariff barriers that hinder trade, including challenges affecting the movement of goods across borders.
The government is facilitating the transportation of participating businesses and their products to Kigali through the Northern Corridor.
Mang’eni said the exhibition would also prepare small businesses to compete under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), which seeks to expand trade across Africa.
“If we cannot trade among ourselves in East Africa, then it becomes difficult also to trade at the continental level or even at the global platform,” she said.
The East African Community offers a potential market of more than 300 million people, but businesses must convert exhibition contacts into repeat orders and sustainable export earnings.
Kenya Day, scheduled for November 5, will provide an additional opportunity to showcase locally manufactured products, innovations and cultural heritage to regional buyers.
