Partnerships between Georgia manufacturers and Kenya farming cooperatives would eliminate the need for brokers of Kenyan agricultural products, said Peter Ndwiga, Kenya’s minister of co-operative development and marketing. Mr. Ndwiga and 10 other prominent East African officials attended the 4th East Africa-U.S. Trade & Investment Summit held May 10-12 in Atlanta.
“We want to take advantage of American manufacturing and marketing expertise to create products designed for the American market,” Mr. Ndwiga told GlobalAtlanta during an interview at the trade summit.
According to Mukhisa Kituyi, who was appointed minister of trade and industry by Kenya’s new government last year, the current political climate is conducive to foreign trade. He is confident Kenya’s National Assembly will pass legislation creating an expedited licensing process for foreign companies and anticipates flights between the U.S. and Nairobi, Kenya, in the near future.
“With one license you will have virtually all the licenses you need to do business in Kenya,” Mr. Kituyi said. “The law will make investments more predictable and will alleviate drawbacks to investment activity.”
“Kenya is likely to start direct flights to the U.S.A.,” he said, which was a frequent topic of discussion at the summit.
Atlanta is vying with Miami to become the United States destination airport from East Africa once Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport acquires approval for flights from the U.S. Federal Aviation Authority.
Both cities would capitalize on the growing trade resulting from the African Growth and Opportunity Act, which provides selected African countries liberal access to U.S. markets.
Coffee, tea, flowers and a wide variety of produce are abundantly available for export, Mr. Ndwiga said. Opportunities also exist for partnerships between apparel manufacturers and Kenya cotton farmers.
For more information on trade opportunities, contact Mr. Ndwiga at ndwigapn@nbnet.co.ke.