US Holds 4th US-East Africa Trade & Investment Forum in Kenya

The 4th US-East Africa Trade & Investment Summit, also known as the East Africa AmCham Business Summit, took place at the Windsor Golf Hotel in Nairobi, Kenya, from 24 to 25 April 2024. Some 1,300 delegates consisting mostly of business leaders in the East Africa region. Representatives from #AmCham Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda and Ethiopia were in attendance in line with the aim of this edition of ‘Catalyzing the Future US-East Africa Trade and Investment.’

Certain US companies such as Coca-Cola, Mastercard, Microsoft, Google, Cisco, and Pfizer sent high-level executives to the event. Related US agencies including USAID, USTDA, #ProsperAfrica were also present. Kenyan President William Ruto, US Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo took part in a fireside chat moderated by US Ambassador to Kenya Meg Whitman.

The Summit covered featured plenary sessions and sector roundtables on an array of sectors including Manufacturing, Infrastructure, Agriculture, Health, #DigitalEconomy, Creative Economy, #RenewableEnergy, and #ClimateChange. To foster partnerships, the Summit agenda incorporated B2B and B2G formal discussions as well as informal networking sessions.

British Robinson underscored that Prosper Africa has been able to facilitate 300 deals in East Africa since its launch. Rebecca Miano, Minster of Investments of Kenya, emphasized that ‘Kenya is open for business and actually means business’ as the country positions itself as the gateway to East Africa.

President Ruto noted that the narrative has changed from a ‘land of war and hunger to the new land of opportunity.’ As part of its industrialization drive, Kenya is developing six Special Economic Zones (#SEZ). Foreign investors are welcome to set up shops in these #SEZ in order to take advantage of the regional market within the East African Community (#EAC), and eventually the continental single market made possible by the African Continental Free Trade Area (#AfCFTA).