This is after a successful three-year first term that saw KNCCI secure more than Sh3 billion in funding for different projects, mainly supporting small businesses, where women have been among the biggest beneficiaries.
Speaking during an interview with the Star in Nairobi, Ngatia said the chamber will keep fostering the growth of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises.
"We have been keen on SMEs, which remain critical in driving the economy," Ngatia said.
The chambers boss said he has broken the elite club that controlled the chamber and brought small players to the table.
Ngatia is seeking a second term at the helm of the chamber with his running mate Abdulwalli Shariff, in an election slated for June 8.
Among key projects in his tenure is the Sh750 million programme that supports about 12,000 cross-border women traders with an unconditional cash transfer and capital, helping them survive the harsh economic conditions in the post-Covid pandemic.
This was in partnership with the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, Financial Sector Deepening Kenya and Trade Mark Africa.
KNCCI has also secured support from Trade Mark Africa on Certificate of Origin system upgrade, development of a KNCCI mobile app and a marketable platform.
It has also in place the Trade Mark women in trade platform (Isoko), which targets more than 20,000 women by next year.
Ngatia says the chamber has also brought on board a Business Advocacy Fund-Mastercard Foundation funding of Sh534.8 million, benefiting more than 17,960 members, and a Sh1.6 billion kitty for supporting SMEs.
KNCCI has also improved financial stability, enhanced the chamber advocacy role and improved service delivery to members, while also strengthening chamber chapters and promoting equity in running the chamber affairs.
"It has undertaken multiple trade missions to enable members to access and penetrate overseas markets," Ngatia said.
He cited Barbados, DR Congo, Egypt, France, Germany, Netherlands, Russia, South Africa, South Arabia, South Korea, Turkey, UAE, UK and USA.
Ngatia added that the chamber has strengthened partnerships with national and county governments, financial institutions, corporate bodies and development partners.
They have helped to support enterprises through digitisation, credit access programmes, training and skill enhancement support for knowledge and capacity development and expansion of market links.
He said under his leadership, KNCCI membership increased from 20,000 to more than 60,000 members, thanks to enhanced advocacy for an enabling business environment.
At least 123 entrepreneurs from 24 counties benefited from the project, where they were trained on sustainable agricultural and environmentally friendly practices.
The president said 80 MSMEs from Nairobi and Kiambu county benefitted from business development services, including coaching, mentorship, market linkages and technical assistance.
"150 KNCCI members from Machakos, Naivasha and Kisumu have benefited from trainings, capacity building and sensitisation on the national action plan," Ngatia said.
TRADE MISSIONS
Through trade missions, the business community has secured new export markets for horticulture, fruits and vegetables, beef and honey.
KNCCI organises business forums to help the business community meet incoming foreign delegations.
Successful missions in the recent past include Kenya-Iran, Kenya-Egypt, Kenya-Estonia, Kenya-Malawi, Kenya-Tunisia, Kenya-France, Kenya-India and Kenya-Tanzania business forums.
"The business community has been able to showcase and market its products and services through exhibitions organised by KNCCI, such as the annual SME conference and exhibition, in partnership with Nation Media Group, and most recently, county exhibitions in Embu and Uasin Gishu," he said.
KNCCI has also hosted multiple events that allow business people to interact and network.
They include the KNCCI annual golf tournaments, exporters' breakfast forums and members' breakfast forums.
MOUs signed with foreign chambers of commerce and other entities have accelerated trade facilitation and access to market information.
"We have signed MOUs with multiple chambers’ of commerce across the world, such as South Africa, Dubai and Barbados," Ngatia said.
The chamber has also cemented partnerships with GIZ, Etihad Credit Insurance, Ethiopian Airlines, Kabarak University, Uasin Gishu county government and Unicef.
It has launched an overseas office in Sharjah, UAE, to serve as the business facilitation hub for Kenya and UAE traders and provide a platform for business meetings, conferences, exhibitions and networking.
KNCCI has an automated trade portal for issuing a certificate of origin, Ngatia said, adding that the introduction of the online application system during the pandemic has seen an increase in efficiency and transparency in business operations at the chamber.
"We have fostered fruitful engagement with industry regulators, including KRA and Kebs, to provide regulatory guidance to the exporters," he said.
The business lobby group has also promoted gender and youth inclusion in trade through targeted programmes aimed at empowering women and youth entrepreneurs.
Partners such as Absa bank and Trade Mark Africa have come on board to support women-led businesses with marketing linkages, affordable credit, coaching and digitisation.
"Through KNCCI support, young entrepreneurs have participated in the Expo 2020 in Dubai for international market exposure. As chamber president, I have given business talks to young entrepreneurs, university and TVET students," Ngatia said.
He said the deal signed between KNCCI and the Uasin Gishu government will provide internship placement for university and TVET students.
ENDORSEMENTS
In December 2022, Ngatia was appointed to the General Council of the prestigious International Chamber of Commerce World Chambers Federation.
KNCCI patron President William Ruto praised the achievement as strategic to improve the visibility and advocacy of Kenya’s business sector on the global scene.
Last Sunday, Ngatia got a big boost in his re-election bid after officials from six coastal counties threw their weight behind him.
The delegates included officials from Kwale, Kilifi, Lamu, Mombasa, Tana River and Taita Taveta.
Ngatia will face the chamber’s current vice president Eric Rutto in the upcoming elections.
Ngatia's running mate Shariff is a businessman with vast interests in agriculture, oil and construction.
The two have received backing from Coast and other regions, including Lower Eastern, Lakeside, Western, Mt Kenya, South Rift and from delegates in the Nairobi metropolitan region.
Coast regional director Hassan Wario assured Ngatia the region is behind him.
"We are happy with the performance of Richard Ngatia since he has been visiting the areas many times," Wario said.
Ngatia was unopposed in 2019, when he first ran for office.
The chamber president’s stint in office coincided with the expansion of Kenya's markets in DR Congo, Europe and South America.
Ngatia has also received endorsements from key leaders in the national government.
They include National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang'ula, Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi and Council of Governors chairperson Anne Waiguru.
MANIFESTO
Through the position, Ngatia has pledged to collaborate with other members of the General Council in connecting the Chamber of Commerce across the world, supporting MSMEs in collaboration with ICC.
He also aims to contribute to the WCF strategy in reinforcing the important role of chambers in trade promotion and enterprise development.
He was elected to serve as the chairperson of the ICGLR Private Sector Forum in September 2019, taking over from the then-president of the Federation of Enterprises of Congo in DRC, who had been interim chair for four years.
The International Conference of the Great Lakes Region is an inter-governmental organisation of 12 member states.
They are Angola, Burundi, Central African Republic, Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia.
"I work closely with the ICGLR secretariat, the UN Office of the Special Envoy for the Great Lakes, and chambers of commerce across the 12 ICGLR member states," Ngatia said.
The aim is to reinforce the role of the private sector in the promotion of peace, security, stability and regional integration through strengthening regional and cross-border trade.
He also serves as a board member of IGAD. Member states are Djibouti, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan and Uganda.
The IGAD Business Council enhances joint action to advance the role of the private sector in regional economic integration and industrialisation.
Ngatia is also a special business adviser to the Council of Governors.
