The Lubumbashi leg of the Kenya-DRC Trade Mission has officially started, following the official launch by the Vice Governor of Haut Katanga Province Jean Claude Kamfora.
The Lubumbashi leg of the Kenya-DRC Trade Mission will be held over a 4 day period. Delegates will have an opportunity to interact with businesses through expert panel decisions, trade exhibitions, site visits and in person business meetings.
The Trade mission which is in its 8th day has so far attracted over 2,000 local and international delegates. It aims to showcase the trade, tourism and investment opportunities in the DRC and the Great Lakes region.
The Trade Mission has created an opportunity for DRC entrepreneurs to be matched to Kenyan entrepreneurs, creating opportunities for benchmarking and partnerships. These will play a critical role in business integration and entry into DRC.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Kenya’s CAS Ministry of Industrialization, Trade and Enterprise Development Hon. Lawrence Karanja said, “Supply chains were disrupted by COVID-19 and this was invitation to the people of Africa to see how we can work and trade with each other in Africa. This trade mission is a step towards achieving this. The Democratic Republic of Congo is currently the 6th leading export destination for Kenyan products in the world which include agricultural and manufactured goods, mineral fuels and oils.”
Also speaking during the launch ceremony, EquityBCDC Managing Director Celestin Muntuabu said, “Equity is supporting wealth creation opportunities for our people by supporting the partnering of people of Kenya and DRC. There are many challenges, but these can be converted to opportunities. We have also many raw materials here that can be used in manufacturing. This will create millions of jobs for your people in manufacturing.”