The Export Promotion Council is looking to expand Kenya's export products to Egypt to include art and entertainment, cut flowers and textiles rather than traditional export goods to improve trade between the two states.
“We need to reduce the high dependency on imports by exporting more than what we currently do to include arts, cultural heritage and entertainment. It will also involve change of paradigm to encourage consumption of our products,” EPC chairman Jaswinder Bedi said during an update the country’s preparedness for the Intra Africa Trade Fair (IATF).
Egypt is one of the Kenya’s largest export markets after the East African Community and European Union, however with trade being in favour of Egypt.
Kenya imports from Egypt increased by nine per cent to Sh22.04 billion between January and July 2018 compared to the same period in 2017.
Central Bank data also shows a Sh9.86 billion trade deficit between the same period, despite exports to the Egypt having increased by 21.9 per cent to Sh12.18 billion from Sh10.0 billion under the period in review.
Kenya’s exports to Egypt include spices, tobacco, dairy products, aluminum, sisal, soda ash while some of imports from Egypt include rice, sugar, fish and fish products, paper and paper products, iron and steel, textiles, cosmetics, resins, Leather products, pharmaceuticals, Fertilizer, construction materials among others.
This comes at a time when an Egyptian trade mission of 55 companies is visiting Kenya to look for business opportunities under the second Kenya-Egypt Business Forum.
Other Kenyan products with potential into the Egyptian market include frozen and boneless beef, live animals, ghee and butter, nuts and fresh produce.
Kenya will be among the countries in Africa exhibiting at the IATF in Cairo, Egypt from December 11-17.
“Kenya has been at the forefront to promote intra-African trade allowed by our internal control mechanism. We are now looking at the trade fairs for enterprises to engage and have small and micro-enterprises to grow and stretch to other nations,” Trade PS Chris Kiptoo said.