Kenya and India have partnered to promote trade and investment in the textile and manufacturing industry.

The Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KNCCI) will become an official partner in the preparation and planning of the International Textile and Manufacturing Expo- India ITME, set to take place in India from December 8 to 13, 2022.

Kenya will leverage on its competitive advantage in leather and textiles to roll out a labour-intensive agro-processing industrialisation program. The textiles and apparel sector is estimated to account for six per cent of the overall manufacturing sector in Kenya and contributes 0.6 per cent to Kenya’s GDP.With a large and well-established apparel subsector, Kenya has become a leading exporter in Africa and top exporter to the US under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA).

East Africa has become an emerging hub in Africa for sourcing apparel, and buyers have increasingly established regional sourcing offices in Kenya. The manufacturing and textile sector is expected to contribute significantly toward the attainment of Vision 2030.The aim is to raise the share of the sector to GDP from the current 8.3 per cent to 15 per cent.

KNCCI’s focus is to urge private investors in the textile industry to take advantage of the opportunity as Kenya aims to increase the industry investment from $350 million to $2 billion and create 5,00,000 cotton jobs and 1,00,000 new apparel jobs.