Over 200 companies converge for AmCham Business Summit

PUBLISHED ON November 7th, 2019

Over 200 companies converge for AmCham Business Summit

The companies comprised of American, Kenyan and regional companies looking for opportunities and business partnerships.

AmCham CEO, Maxwell Okello described the purpose of the Summit as “a place where businesses come to meet and explore information, ideas and opportunities, driven by the spirit of partnership for mutual benefit.”

AmCham Board President Phillipine Mtikitiki in her remarks discussed the interest of U.S. private sector in partnering with local businesses in Kenya and the East Africa region describing a mutually beneficial partnership that seeks to “support and develop the local private sector with the aim of creating foreign-domestic linkages.”

She described local companies as“excellent partners adding value to investors by their knowledge of local markets and access to local opportunities.” She further reiterated the importance of partnerships with local companies form an American private sector perspective describing them as a means to, “Strengthen the capacity of the domestic economy and provide stability to American businesses invested in Kenya and the region.”

Kenya and the U.S. are currently in discussions as part of the Bilateral Strategic Engagement to find a way forward in trade relationships between the two countries beyond AGOA’s expiration date in 2025.

The second meeting of the Trade and Investment Technical Working Group working on this is taking place on the sidelines of the Summit.

In line with this, AmCham Board President Phillipine Mtikitiki confirmed AmCham’s support for,“Open, comprehensive and reciprocal trade agreements, that will not only contribute to a more enabling business environment but also give more opportunity to benefit from export trade.”

The Summit, now in its second year is held in partnership with the Kenya and U.S. governments as well as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and serves as an engagement platform for the U.S. and the greater East Africa region to focus on strengthening two-way,enterprise driven, trade and investment,forging long-term economic ties and mutual prosperity.

The two-day Summit on Monday and Tuesday, focused on six main sectors: Infrastructure, Manufacturing, Agribusiness, the Digital Economy, Health and Energy.

A highlight of the Summit will be the business match-making taking place to connect businesses attending the Summit to potential opportunities and partnerships.

Source: KBC

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