ABU DHABI: The UAE-KSA Joint Trade Mission concluded the second stop of its African tour yesterday, where it held the “UAE-KSA-Uganda Trade and Investment Conference” in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi with the participation of more than 60 businessmen and investors from the UAE and Saudi Arabia. The trade mission was organised by Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI), in cooperation with the Department of Economic Development (DED) in Abu Dhabi and the Saudi Export Development Authority.

The trade mission is considered to be part of the SCCI, also held a press conference and official meetings with officials from several Kenyan governmental agencies concerned with economic and investment affairs. Business meetings between the UAE and Saudi businessmen and their Kenyan counterparts were also held.

The meeting was attended by Abdallah Sultan Al Owais, Chairman of the SCCI, Adan Mohammed, Cabinet Secretary for Ministry of Industry, Trade and Cooperatives, Hassan Issa Al Hosani, Minister Plenipotentiary at the UAE Embassy in Kenya, Dr. Mohammed Khayat, Saudi Ambassador to Kenya, Richard Ngatia, Chairman of the Nairobi Chapter of the Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Moses Ikiara, Managing Director of the Kenya Investment Authority, as well as a large number of government officials and representatives from the Kenyan business community.

Expressing his views, Abdullah Al-Owais conveyed the greetings of His Highness Dr. Sheikh Sultan Bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, to the leadership and Government of Kenya. He also expressed the sincere wishes of His Highness for the continued success, progress and prosperity to the friendly country of Kenya and its people, stressing that the strong bilateral relations between the UAE and Kenya are based on a spirit of understanding and mutual respect.

Al Owais stated that this visit contains an additional dimension when compared to the previous two visits organised by the Sharjah Chamber during the past two years, as this visit comes after the UAE and Kenya signed several memorandums of understanding at the end of last February. He added that in light of these developments, the UAE expresses its hope to further cooperation with Kenya in several fields. This cooperation involves enhancing trade and investment between the two countries and developing leading partnerships in the sectors of food security, energy, retail, infrastructure, transport, logistics, agriculture and other fields, especially since Kenya represents a prominent economic, commercial and service centre in East and Central Africa.

Al Owais stated that the Sharjah Chamber considers the trade mission a continuation of its previous efforts in building bridges of communication and strengthening the economic relations between the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Kenya. These efforts are part of the framework of joint endeavours between these three countries to raise the rates of trade and to establish new and promising investment partnerships. He also pointed out that the UAE and Saudi products enjoy unique and competitive advantages in terms of their diversity, quality, high specifications and prices.