China offensive continues with Nairobi exhibition

A host of Chinese manufacturers and their Kenya counterparts will interact at a three day expo in Nairobi aimed at presenting networking opportunities for suppliers from both countries to source high quality products directly at competitive prices.

Dubbed the China HomeLife Kenya Exhibition, the expo that began on December 5 and will conclude on December 7 is bringing together over 600 verified Chinese suppliers from the home product category to engage with importers, traders and buyers from Kenya, the organisers said on Wednesday.

The exhibition, held at the Kenyatta International Convention Center (KICC) in Nairobi is co-hosted by the Kenya National Chamber of Commerce & Industry and is organised by Shanghai-based Meorient International Exhibition Co. Ltd.

KNCCI said that Chinese companies should consider manufacturing from Kenya as a gateway to the larger African continent.

According to KNCCI Vice Chairman James Mureu, Kenya is keen to tap into Chinese expertise and has put in place tailor made programmes for business people from China who want to invest in the country so as to enable them to access the market with little or no challenges.

“To this end Chinese investors can set up in industrial parks, export processing zones and special economic zones giving them many incentives and access to both the local and regional market,” he said.

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The expo is expected to see over 4000 products showcased including the hardware, consumer electronics, apparel, construction and real estate beauty sectors.

“This exhibition not only furthers the continued relationship that Kenyan and Chinese businesses have had spanning hundreds of years but also allows these investors to easily access both markets through trusted partners,” said Ma Hua, Deputy Director of the Guangdong department of commerce.

China HomeLife Kenya is the inaugural exhibition in Nairobi of the expo that is held annually in other cities across the world.

It sees Nairobi join Sao Paulo (Brazil), Istanbul (Turkey), Dubai (UAE), Johannesburg (South Africa), Mumbai (India), Cairo (Egypt), Amman (Jordan), Warsaw (Poland), Mexico City (Mexico), Lagos (Nigeria), Tehran (Iran) and Almaty (Kazakhstan) as host cities of the expo.

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