Kenya seeks to form joint trade commission with Bangladesh

Ambassador Moi Lemoshia, Kenya's Director General, Bilateral and Political Affairs, has proposed establishing a Bangladesh-Kenya joint trade commission to accelerate bilateral trade between the two countries.
He made the suggestion during a meeting with Dhaka Chamber of Commerce & Industry (DCCI) at its Gulshan Centre on Monday, said a press release.
He led a visiting 10-member Kenyan delegation at the meeting.
Ambassador Moi Lemoshia said, "Kenya has a warm diplomatic relation with Bangladesh, now we want to turn it into a good trade relation."
He invited Bangladeshi entrepreneurs to invest in agriculture and ICT sectors in Kenya that will give them an access to other African countries since the country is a member of Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) and East African Community (EAC).
Kenya's economy is also SME-driven so is in Bangladesh, he said and suggested forging collaboration between the SME sectors of both the countries.
For technology transfer and training, he called for private sector's strong partnership and Chamber-to-Chamber relations.
At the meeting, Acting President of Dhaka Chamber Monowar Hossain said Bangladesh is a suitable place for investment.
He said regular exchange of business delegations, B2Bs with the SMEs of Bangladesh and Kenya and regular trade exhibitions will open up new window of opportunities.
"If the private and public sectors of both the countries can work together with shared objectives, we can create more bilateral trade and investment opportunities, enhancing the bilateral trade -- now worth only $24.80 million," he added.
DCCI Director Khairul Majid Mahmud said that in Bangladesh, huge infrastructure development is going on. He urged the Kenyan importers to import jute and jute goods from Bangladesh.
He also stressed contract farming over there and suggested establishing Kenyan mission in Dhaka, launching direct air connectivity between Dhaka and Nairobi and easing visa processing.
Tareque Muhammad, High Commissioner of Bangladesh in Nairobi, and members of the Board of Directors of DCCI were present at the meeting.