Kisumu County has organized exhibition bazaars at the refurbished Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Sports Ground that would run parallel with the 9th Africities Summit that will be held at the Jomo Kenyatta International Stadium next week.
The exhibition site situated at the heart of the Central Business District will enable small enterprises to acquire business spaces to showcase and sell their wares.
The locals are expected to liaise with the County Trade department to register for the cheaper stands to pitch their businesses and tap the huge market from the visiting delegates.
The County charges Sh5, 000 for each business slot. This is way much cheaper compared to the exhibition spaces based at the main conference venue which goes for between Sh42, 840 and Sh91, 800.
Kisumu County Executive Committee Member for Tourism Achie Alai said the event organizers have put up two types of exhibition bazaars, one meant for the international exhibitors and the other for locals.
“There will be a Kenya pavilion meant for the government institutions and agencies to showcase their services,” Alai confirmed during a press briefing held at the Jomo Kenyatta International Stadium on Wednesday.
Beside the conference, a 5,000 square meters of exhibition space has been set up to accommodate over 200 exhibitors from Africa and beyond. The booths have been partitioned to include country pavilions, institutional pavilions, and stands dedicated to public or private companies.
The Africities Exhibition offers institutions and the civil society organizations the opportunity to display their experiences and products, as well as promote business to business meetings with local authorities, possibly leading to signing of business contracts.
According to Aloice Ager, the head of Africities Secretariat, the Kisumu edition would host the largest number of guests projected at 8,000. So far, 6,000 delegates from across Africa have registered for the event slated for 17th – 21st May.
By Robert Ojwang’
