Post by Trade facilitator on Apr 14, 2012 18:47:00 GMT 1
Kenya has launched a five year export plan to expands its export market from the traditional East Africa Community trading partners to the rest of the continent, as the country seeks to balance its expanding import bill.
The plan, launched by the Export Promotion Council (EPC) last week, envisages penetration into the previously unexploited markets of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Angola, Nigeria and Gabon among others.
“Our plan in the next five years is to work in co-ordination with other agencies in the private and public sector to make it as easy as possible for Kenyans to export into these new markets,” said Ruth Mwaniki in an interview during the launch of the EPC’s Strategic Plan 2012-2017. EPC is a state agency responsible for promoting exports.
EPC has started carrying out market surveys in Kenya’s non-traditional African markets with the latest being South Sudan.
The council said it is about to complete another plan focusing on the DR Congo. The intention is to provide as much information as possible on the export environment of the target countries including the product-by-product or service analysis.
EPC has also embarked on establishing closer working relations with export agencies in target countries, with memorandum of understandings already signed with Nigeria, Ghana, Mauritius, Tanzania, Uganda and currently negotiating with South Africa.
“The new export plan is regionally focused and this is a deliberate attempt because of the widening opportunities for trade within Africa,” said Kenya’s Permanent Secretary for Trade Abdulrazaq Adan Ali.
Kenya is also seeking construction of trade centres in several African countries that will become holding grounds for Kenyan exporters, enabling them to export commodities in bulk, store them in warehouses within these centres for onward distribution to the markets.
This measure, pioneered by the ongoing construction of a trade centre in South Sudan, is necessitated by the poor interconnection of African cities by road, air or railway transport.
“For instance, it will be easier for Kenyan manufacturers to access DRC from the trade centre in Juba than from Nairobi,” said Mwaniki
Source: www.theeastafrican.co.ke/business/Kenya+targets+rest+of+Africa+in+export+drive++/-/2560/1386352/-/12dbt9x/-/
The plan, launched by the Export Promotion Council (EPC) last week, envisages penetration into the previously unexploited markets of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Angola, Nigeria and Gabon among others.
“Our plan in the next five years is to work in co-ordination with other agencies in the private and public sector to make it as easy as possible for Kenyans to export into these new markets,” said Ruth Mwaniki in an interview during the launch of the EPC’s Strategic Plan 2012-2017. EPC is a state agency responsible for promoting exports.
EPC has started carrying out market surveys in Kenya’s non-traditional African markets with the latest being South Sudan.
The council said it is about to complete another plan focusing on the DR Congo. The intention is to provide as much information as possible on the export environment of the target countries including the product-by-product or service analysis.
EPC has also embarked on establishing closer working relations with export agencies in target countries, with memorandum of understandings already signed with Nigeria, Ghana, Mauritius, Tanzania, Uganda and currently negotiating with South Africa.
“The new export plan is regionally focused and this is a deliberate attempt because of the widening opportunities for trade within Africa,” said Kenya’s Permanent Secretary for Trade Abdulrazaq Adan Ali.
Kenya is also seeking construction of trade centres in several African countries that will become holding grounds for Kenyan exporters, enabling them to export commodities in bulk, store them in warehouses within these centres for onward distribution to the markets.
This measure, pioneered by the ongoing construction of a trade centre in South Sudan, is necessitated by the poor interconnection of African cities by road, air or railway transport.
“For instance, it will be easier for Kenyan manufacturers to access DRC from the trade centre in Juba than from Nairobi,” said Mwaniki
Source: www.theeastafrican.co.ke/business/Kenya+targets+rest+of+Africa+in+export+drive++/-/2560/1386352/-/12dbt9x/-/