Kenya seeks Bangladeshi investment in agriculture, ICT

Director General of Bilateral and Political Affairs of Kenya Amb Moi Lemoshia has invited Bangladeshi entrepreneurs to invest in the agriculture and ICT sector in Kenya, which will give them access to other African countries since Kenya is a member of Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) and East African Community (EAC).

"Kenya has a warm diplomatic relation with Bangladesh. Now we want to turn it into a good trade relation," said Lemoshia during a meeting with the Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI) on Monday.

A 10-member government delegation led by Amb Moi Lemoshia joined the meeting held at DCCI's Gulshan Centre.

He also proposed to establish a joint trade commission to accelerate bilateral trade, identifying and removing the bottlenecks.

As the economy of both Bangladesh and Kenya is SME driven, he suggested a collaboration between the two country's SME sectors. He also urged for a strong partnership of private sectors and chamber-to-chamber relations for technology transfer and training.

DCCI acting president Monowar Hossain said Bangladesh is a suitable place for investment. Regular exchange of business delegation, B2Bs with the SMEs and regular trade exhibitions in both countries will open up a new window of opportunities.

"If the private sector and public sector of both the countries can work together with shared objectives, we can create more investment opportunities and bilateral trade, which is only $24.80 million at present," he added.

At the meeting, DCCI Director Khairul Majid Mahmud urged Kenyan importers to import jute and jute goods from Bangladesh. He also stressed contract farming in Kenya.

The DCCI director requested the Kenyan delegation to establish a Kenyan mission in Dhaka, direct air connectivity between Dhaka and Nairobi and ease visa processing.

Tareque Muhammad, High Commissioner of Bangladesh in Nairobi and members of the DCCI Board of Directors were also present during the meeting.