Kenya holds special place in India's Global Relationships

New Delhi: Kenya holds a special place in India's global relationships, it has strong engagement ties and has the potential to collaborate for relationship building deliberated H.E. Mr. Virander Kumar Paul, High Commissioner, High Commission of India, Kenya in the Inaugural Session of the 7th Virtual Print Pack Sign Expo & Corrugation Expo Kenya organized by PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

H.E. Mr. Virander Kumar Paul praised the rich history between both the countries in terms of trade and commerce, similar geographical locations, and shared attributes. He suggested to diagnose impediments and achieve practical and outcome-oriented relationships to overcome the effects of the pandemic on both countries.

He talked about India's role in the predictability of actions and outcomes in trade and investments; easy communication channels and, similar business culture alongside praising the importance of the Indian origin community in Kenya. He also suggested the promotion of Ayurvedic products and called for strong relations between the countries for the same.

Ms. Mira Mathew, Director, Tashikka Expositions, Kenya mentioned that there is a huge scope for Indian manufactures to penetrate in Kenyan printing and packaging market. 

Mr. Onesmus Masinde, Manager-Trade, Research & Policy, The Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry mentioned that India and Kenya share strong historical, cultural ties with each other. India and Kenya have optimistically worked in Business Development, Economic support, job creation, and many more. Kenya's strength lies in the sectors like food, agriculture, housing, manufacturing that provide immense opportunities for Indian investors can be looked upon. 

Mr. Pradeep Multani, Senior Vice President, PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry in his presidential remarks deliberated about the contemporary ties between India and Kenya as they are maritime neighbors and the relation has now evolved to robust multi-facet trade partnership marked by regular high-level visits, increasing trade and investment as well as extensive people to people contacts. Both countries share a common legacy of history and culture. India has been one of the largest investors in Kenya and, many companies have invested in sectors like manufacturing, real estate, pharmaceuticals, telecom, IT, banking, and agro-based industries. Indian investments have led to job creation in Kenya. 

Mr. Vivek Agarwala, Chair, International Affairs Committee for Africa, PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry deliberated about the business trade relations shared between India and Kenya that has been growing optimistically in various fields such as petroleum products, pharmaceuticals, steel products, machinery, tea, vegetables and many more. India offers development assistance to Kenya to support the development of the nation. Giving a background about India's packaging market, he mentioned that packaging is a high growth industry in India and is developing at a fast rate in the coming years as India is becoming a preferred hub for the packing industry. It's a pivotal sector as it is driving innovation and growth, adding value to the various sector including agriculture and FMCG segments.

Dr. G L Aggarwal, Co-Chair, International Affairs Committee for Africa, PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry discussed the deep-rooted relations between India and Africa. India is a major export partner to Kenya especially in the health sector and, now we need to focus on Ayurvedic products. 

The session was moderated by Mr. Naveen Seth, ASG, PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and was attended by more than 150 industry stalwarts from India and African Countries.