Mombasa business community praise effective port operations, want more

KNCCI Mombasa chapter chair Aboud Jamal at the Mombasa Business Awards on Friday / JOHN CHESOLI

KNCCI Mombasa chapter chair Aboud Jamal [standing, R] at the Mombasa Business Awards on Friday / JOHN CHESOLI

Mombasa port is doing an incredible job in facilitating trade in the region, but there is still room to exploit its full potential, the business community in the county has said.

Being Kenya’s largest port, it serves as the vital gateway and primary trade route for landlocked East and Central African countries like Uganda, Rwanda, South Sudan and the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

 The port, which has been breaking record after record, connects these countries to global markets, handling significant cargo for the entire region via multi-modal transport systems like the Northern Corridor.

Kenya National Chambers of Commerce and Industry Mombasa chapter chair Aboud Jamal said the world is now seeing the contribution of the Mombasa port, and by extension, Mombasa city and the Kenya Ports Authority to the Great Lakes region.

 “Basically everyone appreciates the work that Mombasa port does but we believe that it has the potential to do much more,” Jamal said.

 Speaking during the 12th edition of the Mombasa Business Awards, Jamal said the business community is pushing the government to have more bilateral agreements with more countries.

 Such bilateral agreements, he said, will push both imports and exports in and out of Kenya and East Africa to see volumes grow and push up businesses.

 He said the government, under advice from the business community, is also trying to balance trade between imports and exports with foreign countries.

 The US and Kenya are currently engaging in bilateral talks to improve the trade between the two countries.

 President William Ruto was by Saturday still in the US trying to negotiate trade deals, after having signed a $1.6 billion (about Sh206.9 billion) health deal with the US.

 “We are trying to see how negotiations will turn out with the US because our Excellency is there right now to see how they can relook at, hopefully, AGOA (African Growth and Opportunity Act). We also have a few pending bilaterals with the EU, the CIPA (Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreements) with the United Arab Emirates,” Jamal said.

 “Basically, as a business community, we are hopeful that the future will be brighter and the government completes these tools and gives business a shot in the arm,” he said.

 The visit of acting US ambassador to Kenya Susan Burns was an eye-opener for the business community in Mombasa.

 Burns on Thursday said a meeting between her office and the business community in Mombasa yielded positive results.

 She noted that the Mombasa port’s potential is yet to be fully exploited, calling on the government and the business community to utilise the facility more.

 Jamal on Friday said the blue economy has huge potential not only in Kenya but also in East Africa.

 However, he noted, the government needs to take the central approach in ensuring there are the right infrastructure, policies and fiscal incentives to attract foreign direct investments and make it attractive for local businesses to invest in.

 “We still believe there is a lot that can be done in terms of aquaculture, marine farming, fisheries, among others,” Jamal said.

 Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, he said, need more training to be capacity built to be sustainable.

 The awards, he said, are meant to motivate these MSMEs to strive to do more.

 “A good example is the Minat Bakery. She’s really grown, mashallah, in terms of what she is able to do and the support she is able to attract. This December she’s hosting an event of national status that has attracted even international partners,” Jamal said.

 Outgoing Ugandan consular Ambassador Paul Mukumbya said he has been promoting tourism, trade and investment between Kenya and Uganda.

 He said selling tourism today is more about promoting cooperation in tourism as opposed to competition.

 “We came up with an expression that you move from the beach at the Coast to the bush in Uganda or you move from the bush in Uganda to the beach at the Coast.

 “That is the complementarity of promotion as opposed to competition between our two destinations. Actually, now we are marketing the Coast and Uganda as one destination,” Mukumbya said.

 Nyumba Group of Companies head of branding and marketing Moody Mwaniki said the Mombasa Business Awards gives credence and visibility to businesses.

 Nyumba Group, through its subsidiary Mombasa Cement Limited, won an award for the Best Corporate Social Responsibility category.

 "We have an utmost dedication to giving back to the communities we are part of including Kilifi, Mombasa and Athi River communities, where our plants are based.

  INSTANT ANALYSIS

The Mombasa Business Awards is a powerful celebration of excellence, innovation and resilience of the Mombasa business community. Under the leadership of KNNCI Mombasa chapter chair Aboud Jamal, the event continues to uplift and inspire enterprise across the county.