Kenya to host freight forwarding and logistics summit

The Freight Forwarding and Logistics Business Summit will be held in Kenya for the first time this, bringing together more than 180 delegates from the East African Community to discuss matters affecting the trade system the region.

Participants at the conference, to be held on 13th and 14th September in Nairobi, will be drawn from stakeholders in the logistics business, warehousing, transport and fleet management and insurance.

This comes at a time when the Kenya government is stepping up the fight against counterfeit goods and contraband.

Kenya International Freight and Warehousing Association ( KIFWA) is supporting the government multi-agency on the fight against illicit trade and concealment of imports in the region as part of efforts to back the Big Four agenda, especially manufacturing.

READ: GLOBAL LOGISTICS CRYPTOCURRENCY FIRMS ENTERS KENYA

“The intention and spirit of government agencies should be to reduce the vice rather than to punish the culprits,” said KIFWA chairman William Onjoyo. “Giving targets based on the number of culprits or goods apprehended as an appraisal to regulators is only acting to encourage rather than deter illicit trade.”

He said players in the logistics and supply chain – both government and private sector – must come together to fight illicit trade. “There can be no progress in the fight if fair competition is not encouraged,” he said.