Kenya could hold key to exporters' success in Africa

In the first half of this year, the export value reached $24.9 million. Rice export value accounted for 60 per cent of the total, followed by machines, equipment, computer and electric products. Potential future export products include building materials and seafood products.—Photo nld

HA NOI (Biz Hub)— Viet Nam should look to export more goods to Kenya as well as other African countries, according to the Ministry of Industry and Trade.

Nguyen Ba Hai, head of the Information and Corporate Consulting Division under the Trade Promotion Agency's Enterprise Support Centre, said Vietnamese-made goods were selling rapidly in Africa.

Kenya, located in the north of the continent, could serve as a gateway for the products to penetrate further into Africa, where many countries have large populations and high demand for many kinds of goods.

African countries have similar export regulations to Viet Nam, which could be advantageous, he added.

In 2011, Viet Nam gained US$1 million from shipping goods to Kenya, Hai said. In 2012, Viet Nam's export value with Kenya jumped to $80 million. Major local exports to Kenya included rice, computer, electronic parts and plastic products.

Vincent D.Naidu, chairman of the Malaysia – Kenya Commercial Council, welcomed Vietnamese firms to export their products through Kenya to other countries, such as Burundi, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda.

Kenya imports an estimated $50 billion of goods every year, he said. However, like other African countries, this is an emerging market, so few enterprises have paid attention to its potential.

Hai warned that local exporters would face difficulty in shipping their goods to Africa because the long distance and lack of information about potential trading partners. — VNS