KEPSA and The Canada-Africa Chamber of Business in partnership with the High Commission of Canada in Kenya, on 19^th February 2024, held the 2^nd Canada-Africa Business Conference in Nairobi. The conference brought together industry leaders and government officials in a forum that sought to promote trade and investment between Canada and the larger African continent while emphasizing Kenya's pivotal position as a key gateway to the East Africa region and the continent.

The event was officiated by the Prime Cabinet Secretary, Hon. Musalia Mudavadi who represented H.E. President (Dr.) William Samoei Ruto. Hon. Musalia was accompanied by Hon. Rebecca Miano, Cabinet Secretary for Industry, Trade and Investment.  The Canadian delegation was led by P.S. Maninder Sidhu, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Export Promotion, International Trade and Economic Development. KEPSA was led by the CEO Ms Carole Kariuki, Chair Mr Jas Bedi, Vice Chair Ms Brenda Mbathi and Vice Chair of the Economic Diplomacy Sector Board Ms Angela Ng’ang’a.

During the event, speakers reiterated the need for collaboration between Canada and Africa in exploring equal investment opportunities. In his remarks, P.S. Sidhu stated that a thriving Africa is important to Canada. He encouraged policymakers to strategize on ways of economic cooperation by maximizing on the existing framework such as the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) as an enabler for further collaboration.

The KEPSA CEO mentioned several Canadian firms that have since taken an interest in investing in Kenya as a result of the “2018 Team Canada Mission to Africa”. While taking stock of the opportunities the collaboration with the Canadian government has provided, Ms Kariuki pointed out more areas of collaboration such as agribusiness, manufacturing, circular economy, tourism and ICT.

She said that there were more uncharted opportunities in the Kenyan tourism industry beyond the safaris, including investment in film production, recreation and entertainment facilities in the area of conference tourism, cultural tourism, health and wellness tourism, cruise ship tourism and ecotourism. Her sentiments were supported by those of Hon. Miano, who lauded Kenya and Nairobi in particular as the gateway to Africa. She pointed out that the availability of young skilled human labour, tourism opportunities and technology make Kenya a strategic place to invest in.

Hon. Mudavadi while delivering the President's address, commended the existing relationship between Kenya and Canada and called for a more mutually beneficial relationship between the two countries to maintain the trade balance. He highlighted Kenya's existing commitments with the East African Community (EAC), the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) and AfCFTA as a catalyst for even more investment opportunities. Hon. Mudavadi also cited a conducive business environment, business policies, qualified human resources and democracy as what makes Kenya a more viable investment destination. He urged companies to take advantage of this moment through continued engagement to enhance trade.

The daylong conference featured a series of panel discussions which included; Project Financing: Success Stories to Unlock Investment for Canada-Africa Deals, Infrastructure - The Role of Canada’s Private Sector in Building a Global Growth Engine, Canadian Entrepreneurs Doing Business in Kenya: The Opportunities and Insights that Enable Success and finally a discussion on FinTech: Pan-Industry Insights as High-Valued FinTech’s Increase Exponentially.