The Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry will play host to next month's General Assembly of the Great Lakes Region Private Sector Forum ahead of the Great Lakes Investment and Trade Conference (GLITC) to be held in Kigali, Rwanda in November.
The regional private sector forum to be attended by private sector representatives from twelve Great lakes Region member states will position Kenya as a regional investment hub in entrenching diplomatic trade ties within the African continent and the rest of the world.
While hosting the Kncci president Richard Ngatia at the at the United Nations Complex in Gigiri Nairobi yesterday, the special envoy of the Secretary General of the United Nations for the Great Lakes Region Huang Zia said the contribution of Kenya’s business community will bring peace in the Great Lakes Region through trade.
On his part, the Kenya chamber president committed his organisation will work with the Office of the Special Envoy to ensure that the investment and trade conference in Kigali becomes successful.
“The Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kncci) will host the forthcoming General Assembly of the Great Lakes Region Private Sector Forum," Ngatia said.
He added, "The chamber is keen to solidify the existing cordial relations the two offices enjoy in various fronts of cooperation especially in bringing peace in the Great Lakes Region through trade.”
The regional private sector forum is slated for September 18, 2019 will see the chairman of the Great lakes region private sector and business community elected.
Zia and Ngatia agreed to jointly mobilise the required resources to ensure the Kigali conference is a success and becomes a catalyst to peace and security in the entire Great Lakes Region.
Zia reiterated the commitment of his office to work closely with the Kenya chamber in an endeavor to rally the Kenyan private sector to support the GLITC conference.
Other leaders present during the meeting at UN headquarters in Nairobi include the East African Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture (EACCIA) Chief Executive Officer Charles Kahuthu, Gabor Beszterczey and Serigne Bassinou Diene both from the Office of the Special Envoy to the UN Secretary General for the Great Lakes Region serving as Senior Programme Officer and Senior Economic Affairs Officer respectively.
The Great lakes region member states include the Republic of Kenya, Republic of Angola, Republic of Burundi, Central African Republic, Republic of Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Republic of Rwanda, Republic of Sudan, Republic of South Sudan, United Republic of Tanzania, Republic of Uganda and the Republic of Zambia.
Next week, President Uhuru Kenyatta will lead the country for the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD 7) conference to be held in Tokyo, Japan beginning August 28 to August 30 to be attended by delegations from 53 countries.
Ngatia will be part of the Kenya delegation leading the Kncci private sector members.
