The President of the Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KNCCI), Dr Erick Rutto, presented strategic recommendations to strengthen practical trade, investment and industrial cooperation between Kenya and Shandong Province during the 2026 Shandong International Trade and Investment Advisors Roundtable in Jinan, Shandong Province.
Speaking in his capacity as International Trade and Investment Advisor to Shandong Province, following his appointment in November 2025, Dr. Rutto emphasized that the next phase of Kenya–Shandong cooperation should move toward implementation, investment and measurable business outcomes.
Dr. Rutto noted that Shandong economic scale and industrial depth provide a strong foundation for cooperation with Kenya. In 2025, Shandong GDP exceeded USD 1.48 trillion, making it one of China’s top provincial economies. The province also has all 41 major industrial categories, giving it a complete industrial system across advanced manufacturing, machinery, new materials, clean energy, biopharmaceuticals, marine industries and smart technologies.
He further stated that this strength aligns directly with Kenya development priorities and gateway to Africa. Kenya economy reached approximately USD 136 billion in 2025, with agriculture remaining the largest sector at 23.2% of GDP, while manufacturing accounted for about 7.1% of GDP. Dr Rutto stressed that Kenya’s development agenda must focus on increasing value addition, expanding manufacturing capacity, raising productivity and building stronger export channels into China and global markets.
Since his appointment, KNCCI has supported direct business engagements between Kenyan enterprises and Shandong companies, including machinery sourcing in Qingdao, agricultural tractor discussions in Jining, brick-making machinery procurement in Linyi, ongoing Kenyan coffee trade discussions, cooperation with Shandong Business Institute in Yantai and preliminary engagements in automotive technology, clean energy and industrial equipment.
In his recommendations, Dr. Rutto identified five priority areas for deeper cooperation: machinery access and local industrial capacity, agriculture and value-added exports, skills and institutional cooperation, automotive and clean energy technologies and direct support systems for companies entering each market.
He called on Shandong companies to work with KNCCI to establish verified supplier channels, demonstration centres, technical training programmes, spare parts systems and after-sales service structures in Kenya. He further invited investment in agricultural processing, cold chain, packaging, roasting, drying and food processing technologies to help Kenya move beyond raw exports and capture more value from products such as coffee, tea, macadamia, avocados and horticulture.
The Roundtable brought together senior officials from the Shandong Provincial Government led by the Vice Governor Wang and international advisors from leading organizations including Siemens China, KPMG China, Veolia, DSM-Firmenich, the ASEAN-China Commerce Association and the Asia Simulation Federation, as well as representatives from Russia, Scotland, Italy, Mexico and other international partners.

Discussions focused on high-quality development, industrial digitalization, AI and IoT applications, green and low-carbon transformation, smart manufacturing, logistics connectivity, healthcare, elderly care, agribusiness, traditional Chinese medicine and stronger international business networks.
Responding to advisors’ recommendations, Shandong provincial leadership reaffirmed Shandong’s commitment to improving the business environment, strengthening government-enterprise cooperation, supporting high-quality development, and expanding global partnerships.
Dr. Rutto’s participation further reinforces KNCCI’s role in advancing Kenya–China economic relations and positioning Kenya as a practical bridge for trade, investment, industrial cooperation and export growth between Africa and Shandong Province.