The State Department of Trade Principal Secretary (PS), Dr. Chris Kiptoo has called upon entrepreneurs in Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) to take advantage of the Jua Kali Nguvu Kazi exhibition to showcase their products and innovations.
Dr. Kiptoo said the exhibition aims at providing entrepreneurs with a platform to present their products to a vast range of customers thus sourcing for market as well as capacity building.
Speaking during the promotional unveiling of the exhibition at Teleposta Towers in Nairobi, PS said that MSMEs is the major source of employment in the country and argued that the entrepreneurs needed to be empowered.
“SMEs play a critical and key role in the realization of the Manufacturing facet of the Government’s Big 4 agenda and they need to be empowered,” said Kiptoo.
Hosting this year’s Jua Kali Nguvu Kazi exhibition which brings together a wide range of exhibitors is a good networking platform for entrepreneurs, explained the PS.
The East African Community Principal Secretary, Ms.Susan Koech said that the exhibition is set to encourage investors to channel their investments in MSMEs which in return will boost the country’s economy.
Koech said the East African Community (EAC) constitutes a 25% share of Kenya’s regional trade market making it the largest and hosting such an event will grow businesses.
“Jua Kali Nguvu Kazi Exhibition will help open up Kenyan products to the East African Community market as well as foster good regional integration for economic growth,” said Koech.
The PS further added that only 31 counties have confirmed sponsoring exhibitors to attend the exhibition and appealed on the remaining to also facilitate participants.
The Export Promotion Council, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Peter Biwott urged MSMEs entrepreneurs to fully utilize the exhibition and build networks to get market both internally and globally.
“The aggregation of small enterprises in order to meet global market demand is key and thus the need for hosting such exhibitions”, explained Biwott.
“Business to business dialogue is key to ensuring safe and secure market access as well as capacity building,” said Biwott.
The 19th East Africa Community Jua kali Nguvu Kazi exhibition is set to be held at Uasin Gishu County from 2nd to 10th December with over 1, 500 exhibitors drawn from Kenya, Tanzania, Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda and South Sudan expected to participate.
EAC has been undertaking MSMEs development through African Jua Kali Nguvu Kazi Exhibitions which is an annual event organized and hosted on a rotational manner among the EAC member states to expose the products manufactured within the region.
By Hempstone Omondi
