Cabinet Secretary Ministry of Co-operatives and Micro, Small and Medium (MSME) Development Wycliffe Oparanya has launched the multi-sectoral National Organizing Committee for the 24 EAC MSMEs Trade Fair, which will be held in Juba, South Sudan starting 26th October 2024.
Since inception, the annual trade fair has brought together MSMEs from the partner states, now eight with the joining of Somalia to expand their reach into new markets, share new technologies, and strengthen regional integration.
The CS noted that the South Sudan’s market is heavily reliant on imports, offering Kenyan MSMEs a strategic opportunity to fill market gaps and take advantage of the unexploited opportunities.
He added that the EAC economy is a stepping stone to a greater vision of more trade for MSEs within the AFCFTA. The National Organizing Committee will critically review MSE product offerings to ensure they are 100% Kenyan made and meet international market requirements.
The Principal Secretary Susan Mang’eni said that the expansion of the East African Community with the recent entry of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC Congo) and Somalia has opened up the market to a population of 320 million people which is a great opportunity for the MSMEs to get export products and services to the regional market and also to the global value chains.
On his part, MSEA Board Chairman James Mureu said that the Authority is prioritizing access to markets as a critical pre-requisite for encouraging entrepreneurship, enterprise development, long-term economic growth, job creation, and productive investment.
Speaking at the event, MSEA CEO Henry Rithaa noted that the Authority will be marketing all the products available from the Kenyan MSEs at the trade fair on the MSEA’s marketing portal to realize the technology enabled economy and utilize the 1.3 Billion Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) market.
The Authority is working with sector players in the committee to develop an integrated program to establish forward linkages for participating MSEs and track the volume of business achieved post the trade fair. MSEA is spearheading Kenya’s participation and will facilitate over 400 MSEs to the trade fair.
