Briefs & Press Releases

Uhuru meets global chamber of commerce leaders

uhuru

President Uhuru Kenyatta. FILE PHOTO | NMG

President Uhuru Kenyatta today at State House, Nairobi, held talks with leaders from the African Chamber of Commerce and Industry led by their global Chief Executive Peter Mihok.

The trade leaders who included Secretary General of the Pan African Chamber Kebour Ghenna and chamber presidents from seven African countries threw their weight behind President Kenyatta’s sustained war on corruption and the Big 4 development agenda.

Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KNCCI) chairman Kiprono Kittony said a corruption free environment allows genuine businesses to thrive.

He said besides supporting the anti-graft war and endorsement of the Big 4 agenda, KNCCI is also encouraged by the focus and keen attention the President is giving to Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in the country.

Besides Kenya, other African countries represented at the meeting were South Africa, Nigeria, Mozambique, Uganda, Sierra Leone, Djibouti and Zambia.

President Kenyatta encouraged the chamber leaders to collaborate with their respective governments to ratify the historic African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Agreement that advocates for a stronger intra-African trade regime.

“It is only through strong intra-African trade that we can develop huge African Multi-national corporations to compete at the global stage,” President Kenyatta.

Continental market

Objectives of the AfFTA include creating a single continental market for goods and services, with free movement of business, persons and investments, as precursors for the envisioned establishment of the Continental Customs Union.

It is hoped that by having a continental customs body, intra Africa trade will expand through better harmonization and coordination of trade policies, regimes and instruments.

Further, AfFTA seeks to resolve the challenges of multiple and overlapping memberships and expedite regional and continental integration processes.

It also aims at enhancing competitiveness at industry and enterprise levels by exploiting opportunities to scale up production, continental market access and better reallocation of resources.