Boost for Kenya as International Trade Centre opens regional hub in Nairobi

President William Ruto has commended the International Trade Centre (ITC) for setting up its regional hub in Nairobi.

The President said the move will bring global markets closer to Kenya’s and East Africa’s producers and value chains.

The new office, located at the United Nations Gigiri Complex, marks the ITC’s first corporate branch outside its headquarters.

The office was officially opened earlier on Tuesday by the Director-General of the UN Office at Nairobi (UNON) Zainab Hawa Bangura.

“We express our sincere gratitude to Executive Director Pamela Coke-Hamilton and the larger United Nations system for this honour,” he said.

He made the remarks during the 25th East African Community (EAC) Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) Trade Fair at Uhuru Gardens, Nairobi County.

President Ruto reaffirmed the commitment of EAC Heads of State to address persistent non-tariff barriers that continue to constrain cross-border trade.

“This trade fair offers an invaluable opportunity to elevate these realities ahead of the upcoming EAC Summit,” he said.

He added that the government is supporting MSMEs by expanding access to affordable credit, financing, and capacity building.

The President said that through the Hustler Fund, the government has disbursed more than Ksh.80 billion to 26.7 million Kenyans since 2022, providing dignified credit to those previously excluded from formal finance.

“People who were paying up to 100 per cent for credit today are paying 8 per cent,” he said.

He noted that digital lending has enabled borrowers to build credit histories that have evolved into credit scores, improving visibility to lenders and expanding access to finance.

The President further disclosed that seven million Kenyans previously blacklisted by the Credit Reference Bureau (CRB) have been given another chance to rebuild their financial reputation.

“We are now advancing efforts to securitise this credit score, recognising it as collateral to unlock financing for millions, especially young people and women who lack traditional assets such as property or formal payslips,” he added.

President Ruto said that through the NYOTA Programme, the government has empowered 110,000 young entrepreneurs with training, mentorship, and start-up grants to drive innovation and job creation.

To strengthen market access, he said Kenya is establishing County Aggregation and Industrial Parks in all 47 counties to promote agro-processing, consolidate value chains, and boost MSME competitiveness.

“We have also commissioned new special economic zones in Busia-Nasewa, Naivasha, Eldoret, Kirinyaga, and Dongo Kundu in Mombasa to attract greater Foreign Direct Investment, stimulate industrialisation, and expand regional trade,” he stated.

The President said the government’s decision to subsidise agricultural production rather than consumption is yielding visible results.

“National yields have surged, and this season, Kenya is on course to harvest 75 million bags of maize, doubling our production in just two years,” he said.

He added that the Affordable Housing Programme, beyond transforming urban areas, has created jobs for young people and channelled billions of shillings to the Jua Kali sector for the manufacture of doors, windows, hinges, and fittings.

To accelerate digital commerce, President Ruto said the government is constructing a 100,000km digital superhighway to expand connectivity and enable commerce.

“Public Wi-Fi will reach markets in the village, and digital hubs will be established in each of Kenya’s 1,450 wards. Already, 30,000km of the digital superhighway are complete, complemented by national digital literacy training,” he said.

He added that the digitisation of government services, now exceeding 22,000 on the e-Citizen platform, has streamlined access, cut costs, and simplified business registration to spur entrepreneurship.

President Ruto praised the EAC MSMEs Trade Fair for evolving into more than just a marketplace describing it as a “strategic platform for skills exchange, innovation, partnership, and dialogue aimed at dismantling barriers to trade and the movement of people.”

He emphasised that MSMEs are the backbone of economies; engines of job creation, drivers of innovation, anchors of industrial growth, and key to shared prosperity.

The President called for the elevation of the trade fair by fully leveraging continental frameworks such as the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

He urged Partner States to domesticate the AfCFTA Protocol on Women and Youth in Trade to ensure inclusivity in economic opportunities.

ITC Executive Director Pamela Coke-Hamilton praised the Kenyan government for its “close collaboration every step of the way” in establishing the ITC offices in Nairobi.

“We look forward to developing even closer and deeper relationships,” she said.

Co-operatives and MSMEs Development Cabinet Secretary Wycliffe Oparanya reiterated the government’s focus on expanding global market access for Kenyan products.

Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja said the county administration is building an enabling environment where businesses can start, grow, and thrive.

He noted that relations between county officials and small traders have greatly improved, saying the era of frequent confrontations between county officials and traders in the city is over.