The International Trade Centre (ITC) marked a significant turning point in its history with the official inauguration of its first-ever regional office outside its Geneva headquarters. The new hub for East Africa is located at the United Nations Office at Nairobi (UNON)
The momentous occasion was officially declared by His Excellency, William Samoei Ruto, President of Kenya, during the East African Community (EAC) Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs) Trade Fair.
Speaking at the event, President Ruto underscored the broad impact of the new office. “We celebrate the establishment of this regional hub of ITC,” he said, emphasizing that the milestone extends beyond Kenya. “This milestone is not for Kenya alone – it belongs to East Africa,” he declared, adding that the new office will be crucial in bringing “global markets within our reach and to our producers.”
Earlier in the day, a ribbon-cutting ceremony was held inside the UN compound. ITC Executive Director Pamela Coke-Hamilton led the ceremony, joined by UNON Director-General Zainab Bangura and the UN Resident Coordinator in Kenya, Stephen Jackson.
Ms. Coke-Hamilton highlighted the strategic decision to base the office in Nairobi. “This is a major milestone in our history, as we work to develop even more meaningful relationships within the countries and regions where we work,” she stated. She added that Kenya was the clear choice, as the ITC already possesses an “extensive footprint and deep relationships at the national and regional levels” within the country.
The opening built upon the momentum of a recent regional roundtable organized by the ITC and Kenya’s Ministry of Cooperatives and MSME Development. This event served as the first regional follow-up to the Global SME Ministerial Meeting held in Johannesburg in July, which yielded a call to action endorsed by over 60 countries.
The roundtable brought together a diverse group including private sector representatives like Absa Bank, and country officials from Burundi, Rwanda, Somalia, Uganda, and high-level representatives from over 15 non-regional countries.
The session culminated in a crucial communique signed by the ITC, the Kenyan Ministry, and the EAC Secretariat. The communique, read out to President Ruto by the Hon. Wycliffe Ambetsa Oparanya, Cabinet Secretary for Cooperatives and MSME Development of Kenya, recognized the central role of MSMEs in transforming trade and improving livelihoods in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
This communique is scheduled to be presented at the EAC Heads of State Summit at the end of November. It aims to further integrate the importance of the Global SME Ministerial process into high-level political discourse. This effort mirrors a similar achievement last month, where the G20 Trade and Investment Working group chair’s statement included a reference to the Global SME Ministerial call to action.