Foreign Minister, Hon. Moses Wetang'ula (right) with Mr. Mohammed Sultan Bin Houwaden ( second left) ,Vice- Chair of the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry before the opening of trade symposium

 Foreign Affairs Minister, Hon. Moses Wetang’ula said this when he presided over the opening of a trade symposium attended by representatives from a cross section of the local business fraternity and a trade delegation from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) at the Norfolk hotel yesterday.  

The 13 - member delegation from the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the third largest commerce chamber in the UAE, is in the country to explore avenues of joint investment and commercial opportunities available in Kenya.

The minister said that the Government had significantly improved the business environment in the country by cutting back on the bureaucracy for setting up new businesses. 

The Minister further challenged the Kenya’s business community, and in particular the Kenya National Chamber of Commerce, to pick up the cue from their counterparts from the United Arab Emirates and promote local enterprises in the Middle East and other parts of the world.  

He encouraged them to work closely with the Kenya’s mission in Abu Dhabi to obtain market information and strengthen the linkages arising from the meeting. 

Speaking at the same function, the leader of the delegation, Mr. Mohammed Sultan bin Houwaden, the Vice- Chair of the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry said that the visit was part of the emerging trend in UAE to spread out investments to potential locations outside the Middle East. He expressed optimism that the networks created at the meeting would translate into fruitful business cooperation. 

The delegation, which is composed of members from diverse business sectors, will also visit flower farms in Naivasha and the Lake Nakuru Game Park. The Ambassador of Kenya to the UAE, H.E. Mohammed Gello is accompanying the delegation. 

The trade visit comes in the wake another event, Kenya Week in Dubai, organized by the Ministry in collaboration with the local business community. The event took place in December 2009. The Kenya Week in Dubai was used to showcase investment opportunities available in the country.