New Delhi, Oct 11 (FN Bureau) Electrical machinery and equipment, infrastructure and transport could be important areas of cooperation between India and Kenya as the two nations march ahead on steady economic growth, said Namgya C Khampa, High Commissioner of India in Kenya during her inaugural address at Indian Engineering Exhibition (INDEE) on Wednesday. EEPC India is holding the three-day engineering exhibition (October 11-13) in Nairobi. Around 80 Indian exhibitors will display the latest engineering brilliance of India across 12 product segments for the existing and aspiring entrepreneurs of Kenya in the engineering sector and help them extend their business in India. “The current Indian government is especially determined to strengthen the long-standing partnership between India and Africa with continuous G2G engagements. Given that India and East Africa share a maritime border, the region is very significant for India to make inroads into the rest of the African region.
Kenya is a very important part of East Africa as its economy is the largest in eastern and central Africa,” Namgya C Khampa said. “In 2022-23, India’s total trade with Kenya stood at USD 3.39 billion, 22 percent higher than in 2021-22. During the same year, India’s exports to Kenya grew by 24 pc to reach USD 3.27 billion,” she stated. In his address, EEPC India Chairman Arun Kumar Garodia said that India and Kenya, as maritime neighbors, have developed a strong and multi-faceted partnership characterized by high-level visits, growing trade and investment, and collaboration in international fora. “Kenya is the largest trading partner for India and the topmost destination for engineering exports in the East African region as of the last completed fiscal. India’s engineering exports to Kenya recorded a Compounded Annual Growth Rate of 8.8% between 2018-19 and 2022-23 with an all-time high exports of USD 901 million in 2021-22,” Garodia said. Major engineering exports from India include industrial machinery, iron and steel products, two and three-wheelers, electrical machinery and equipment and auto components/parts among others. “So far as investments are concerned, India is the second largest investor in Kenya as per the Kenya Investment Authority with over 60 major Indian companies across various sectors including manufacturing, real estate, pharmaceuticals, telecom, IT & ITES, banking and agro-based industries.
Topmost Indian brands like Tata, Reliance, Mahindra & Mahindra, Power Grid, and Wipro are to name a few,” Garodia highlighted. He urged the business communities of the two countries to take advantage of the steady economic growth being witnessed in India and Kenya. “I believe, this INDEE is going to be a stepping stone towards a more meaningful and effective bilateral commercial relation between India and Kenya,” Garodia said. Dr Juma Mukhwana, Principal Secretary, State Department for Industrialization, Ministry of Investment Promotion Trade and Industry, Kenya, Mustafa Ramadan, Chamber Vice President, Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KNCCI), James Mureithi, Chairman, KEPS, June Chepkemei, Ag Managing Director, KenInvest (Kenya Investment Authority) and Hussein Mohamed, Ag CEO, EPZA graced the opening ceremony of the mega engineering show. India would soon be signing an MoU with KNCCI to promote trade and investment and the development of business relations between India and Kenya in the field of engineering business and investment.