NAIROBI, KENYA – July 30, 2026: The Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KNCCI) has officially launched the Africa Commerce & Industry Summit (ACIS) 2026, a premier continental platform designed to drive deal-level transactions, unlock strategic investment, and accelerate the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

Scheduled to take place from 14th to 16th October 2026 at the Uhuru Gardens National Monument & Museum in Nairobi, Kenya, the flagship summit will be held under the theme “Driving Africa’s Next Era of Trade”. ACIS 2026 also coincides with KNCCI’s 60th-anniversary celebrations, marking six decades of economic leadership and enterprise development since its founding in 1965.

The three-day summit will gather more than 5,000 delegates from over 50 countries, bringing together Heads of State, government representatives, chamber presidents, global CEOs, development finance institutions, and over 100 investors actively seeking African growth opportunities. The summit features 350+ exhibitors across 12 high-growth sector pavilions including ICT & Digital Economy, Agribusiness, Financial Services, Green Technologies, and Manufacturing.

Speaking during the media launch in Nairobi, KNCCI President Dr. Erick Rutto emphasized that ACIS 2026 is engineered to address the practical bottlenecks inhibiting cross-border business and trade integration.

“Africa’s next chapter is being written now, and there is a seat in this room for everyone prepared to help write it,” said Dr. Rutto. “While the AfCFTA has established a US$3.4 trillion single market across 1.5 billion people, intra-African trade remains disproportionately low compared to global peers. ACIS 2026 is timed to convert macro policy momentum into deal-level activity. This summit goes beyond conversations into transactions—providing private Deal Rooms, curated B2B matchmaking, and dedicated investment forums built to connect capital directly with scalable growth enterprises.”

Underlining the economic imperative, Dr. Rutto noted that intra-African trade is projected to rise by 6.6% annually, adding an extra US$261.4 billion to continental GDP by 2028 and raising trade’s overall output share to 16.5%.

KNCCI Vice President Mr. Mustafa Ramadhan highlighted the core mission of inclusivity behind the summit, ensuring that Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), youth-led innovators, and women-owned businesses take center stage.

“Businesses across the continent face real operational questions: How do we enter new markets? Where do we find reliable partners and investors? How do we export across borders?” noted Mr. Ramadhan. “ACIS 2026 is a marketplace built to provide practical solutions to these challenges. Across Africa, opportunities exist in abundance, and in the words of Eliud Kipchoge, ‘No Business is Limited.’ We are creating an environment where African-led businesses can build trust, find distributors, and trade together seamlessly.”

Highlighting the operational architecture of the event, KNCCI Chief Executive Officer Mr. KK Mutai stated that the summit is curated to yield immediate commercial results.

“Our ambition for ACIS 2026 is straightforward: when participants leave Nairobi this October, they should leave with more than conference materials and business cards—they should leave with signed purchase orders, executed contracts, and binding investment deals in hand,” stated Mr. Mutai. “Whether connecting to equity funds, pitching to global buyers, or exploring public-private dialogues, every hour of ACIS 2026 is structured for maximum economic return.”

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ABOUT THE KENYA NATIONAL CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY (KNCCI)

Established in 1965, the Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KNCCI) is the premier umbrella body for the private sector in Kenya. Celebrating 60 years of advancing trade and industry, KNCCI represents thousands of businesses across all 47 counties, advocating for a favorable commercial environment, driving SME capacity development, and facilitating international trade partnerships.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Kamau Mbote

Communication Lead

Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KNCCI)

Phone: +254 72468368 Email: media@kenyachamber.or.ke /

Website: http://www.kenyachamber.or.ke/ acis2026.kenyachamber.or.ke

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The forum brought together government representatives, business associations, private enterprises, overseas chamber representatives and professional service institutions, with more than 180 participants engaging in policy exchange, business experience sharing, B2B matchmaking and cooperation signing.
Dr. Rutto noted that Hunan is a strong industrial and commercial partner for Kenya, with the province GDP reaching approximately RMB 5.53 trillion in 2025. He emphasized that Hunan strengths in manufacturing, engineering, e-commerce, medical technology, renewable energy and industrial supply chains align closely with Kenya development priorities.

He positioned Kenya as a strategic gateway for Hunan enterprises entering East Africa and the wider African market. Kenya economy grew by 4.6% in 2025, with GDP estimated at approximately RMB 910 billion, supported by a strong private sector that drives investment, exports, employment and innovation.
Dr. Rutto further highlighted Kenya growing appeal as an investment destination, noting that foreign direct investment into Kenya surpassed USD 2 billion in 2025, reflecting rising investor confidence in the country reform agenda, regional market access and strategic sectors.

On trade, Dr. Rutto emphasized that Kenya–China cooperation must now move toward stronger export growth, value addition and industrial partnerships. With China granting 98.2% of Kenyan exports duty-free access, Kenya has a major opportunity to expand exports of tea, coffee, avocados, macadamia, hides and skins, textiles and processed foods. Kenya tea and coffee exports to China grew by 8.8% year-on-year in 2025, reaching USD 24.46 million.

The engagement also reflected KNCCI long-standing cooperation with Hunan under the China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo framework, the China-Africa Economic and Trade Promotion Council, the CCPIT Hunan Sub-Council, and other Hunan partners. Changsha also hosts KNCCI first overseas office, established in December 2023, which has supported more than 900 Kenyan business leaders in exploring trade, manufacturing, technology transfer and investment opportunities in Hunan.

The B2B session focused on practical opportunities in construction equipment, biomedical manufacturing, electric mobility, e-commerce, renewable energy, agriculture value addition, mining machinery, ICT and technical training.

Following the forum, Dr. Rutto led KNCCI engagements during a company visit and meeting at Hunan Shenyi Precision Parts Incorporated Company. The visit concluded with the signing of a Consulting Service Contract between Shenyi and the Hunan Representative Office of KNCCI, aimed at supporting Shenyi Kenya market entry through market information, enterprise matching, business linkages, Kenya visit arrangements and local resource connections.

Dr. Rutto also engaged representatives of Hunan International Trade Group on potential investment interests in Kenya, including land and real estate-related opportunities, subject to further policy guidance, due diligence and engagement with relevant Kenyan authorities.

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KNCCI President Dr. Erick Rutto’s remarks were delivered on his behalf by National Director and Chair Economic Diplomacy Committee Cynthia Nyawira, highlighted the Chamber’s active role in Kenya’s economic diplomacy.

The conference drew an impressive line-up of key stakeholders, underscoring the significance of the Kenya–China trade agenda including the Kenya Investment Authority and Lucy Muchoki the Chair, KNCCI Programmes and Partnerships Committee & CEO, Kenya Agribusiness and Agroindustry Alliance. The Changsha delegation included Li Weiqun Vice Chairman, Standing Committee of Changsha Municipal People’s Congress, Yang Zhiren — Deputy Director, Changsha Municipal Bureau of Commerce and China Business Representatives in Kenya including from , Zoomlion Overseas Company, eWaka Mobility, KILIMALL Kenya, Rideence Africa Limited and Executive Vice President, Hunan Association in Kenya Xiao Huizhong.

A central theme of the conference was the urgent need to address Kenya’s trade imbalance with China. Kenya’s trade deficit currently stands at approximately KES 654 billion. However, China’s decision to grant duty-free access to 98.2% of Kenyan exports was lauded as a transformative opportunity with early results are already showing tea and coffee exports to China have soared.

KNCCI Chair Programmes and Partnerships Ms. Lucy Muchoki highlighted the growing role of agriculture in Kenya’s exports to China, pointing to the strong potential for agribusiness expansion. She underscored the need to deliberately involve more youth and women in this growth, a call to action that aligns with KNCCI’s broader agenda of inclusive economic participation.

The Changsha delegation presented their city as a strategic distribution hub for goods entering China, with the capacity to channel products to markets across the entire country. This positions Changsha as a natural and efficient partner for Kenyan exporters seeking nationwide reach in China.

Presentations from Changsha’s industry leaders also spotlighted significant opportunities in biomedical devices, heavy machinery, new energy, and electric mobility sectors where Chinese enterprises are actively seeking African partners. KNCCI’s role in orienting and facilitating incoming Chinese investors was formally acknowledged and welcomed.

In remarks delivered by National Director Ms. Cynthia Nyawira, KNCCI outlined Kenya’s compelling investment proposition a dynamic economy that grew 4.6% in 2025, a youthful and entrepreneurial workforce, world-class digital infrastructure, and preferential access to a regional market of over 300 million consumers through the EAC, COMESA, and AfCFTA.

KNCCI also highlighted gains from KNCCI’s first overseas office in Changsha, established in December 2023 and which continues to serve as an anchor for Kenya–China business engagement, having already facilitated missions involving over 200 Kenyan business leaders.

Overall members in agribusiness, manufacturing, ICT, renewable energy, electric mobility, and biomedical sectors stand to benefit directly from the partnerships being developed through this forum.

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The meeting was led by H.E. Badr Abdelatty, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Arab Republic of Egypt, and hosted by H.E. Hatim Yousif Hosni, Ambassador of Egypt to Kenya.

Key Focus Areas:
* Strengthening bilateral trade and investment
* Enhancing market access and addressing trade imbalances
* Diversifying the existing trade basket
* Promoting structured business-to-business collaboration

Both sides underscored the importance of leveraging regional and continental frameworks such as COMESA and the AfCFTA to unlock new opportunities for businesses in both countries.

KNCCI emphasized:
* Establishing structured engagement platforms
* Encouraging joint ventures and reciprocal trade missions
* Improving trade facilitation to reduce bottlenecks for exporters and investors
* Expanding partnerships in manufacturing, agro-processing, ICT, infrastructure, and energy

KNCCI members from diverse sectors were in attendance, reaffirming the Chamber’s commitment to ensuring that private sector voices remain central in advancing international trade partnerships.

CEO Mr. KK Mutai, alongside National Director Mr. Ken Onditi, MBS, reiterated the Chamber’s dedication to translating the meeting outcomes into actionable follow-up engagements and sustained private sector dialogue to drive mutually beneficial Kenya–Egypt trade relations.

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Dr. Eric Rutto, President of the Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KNCCI), attended a dinner reception hosted at the German Embassy Residence in Nairobi on the occasion of the visit of a high-level Business and State Government Delegation from the German State of Bavaria. The event was hosted by Mr. Alexander Fierley, Chargé d’Affaires of the Federal Republic of Germany, together with Dr. Markus Wittmann, Director General at the Bavarian Ministry of Economic Affairs, Regional Development and Energy, who also led the delegation.

The Bavarian delegation, visiting Kenya from 14th to 21st September 2025, comprised more than 30 companies, research institutions, and innovation actors with expertise in ICT, software development, AI, FinTech, InsurTech, biotech, sustainability, and digital health. Their mission was to explore strategic partnerships with Kenyan businesses, research institutions, and start-ups, with a view to strengthening bilateral economic cooperation and unlocking opportunities in key growth sectors.

Dr. Rutto’s participation underscored KNCCI’s role in building international linkages and fostering trade and investment relations. The dinner created opportunities for KNCCI to engage German business and government leaders, highlighting Kenya’s position as a regional economic hub and opening avenues for collaboration in areas such as the digital economy, agritech, manufacturing, and circular economy initiatives.

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In his address, he highlighted Kenya’s strategic position as a gateway to regional markets, a skilled workforce and supportive business incentives. He invited Pakistani investors to explore opportunities in sectors such as agro-processing, textiles, pharmaceuticals, ICT and healthcare.

The morning ended with a vibrant networking session between Kenyan and Pakistani businesses, laying ground for potential partnerships and trade linkages.

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In the discussions the Ambassador highlighted that Ethiopia has opened up major sectors that Kenyan businesses can take advantage of including: banking, telecommunications, forex, trading services and mining. He also pointed out that efforts are ongoing to ensure that Kenya and Ethiopia have a one stop border stop to facilitate trade.

In particular the Ambassador said Ethiopia is looking for investments in its priority sector including:

• Manufacturing: Textile & apparel, leather & leather products, agro-processing, pharmaceuticals, chemical products, metal & engineering industry, electronics & electrical products, paper & paper products, and construction materials.
• Agriculture: Horticulture (flowers, fruits, vegetables and herbs), plantation of cotton, palm tree, rubber tree, coffee, tea, sugarcane, oilseeds, livestock, apiculture, and high-value crops such as barley for malting.
• Mining: gold, potash, platinum, opal, iron, tantalum, marble, granite, limestone etc
• Tourism: grade one tour operation, star designated hotels, lodges & restaurants, grade one construction, information & communications technology (ICT) and general & specialized hospitals
• ICT: 200-hectare ICT dedicated Industry Park in Addis Ababa, Opened Telecom sector, business in software development, setting up data centers, business process outsourcing
• Banking and Forex Bureaus: 31 banks present, 9 companies and the existing banks licensed to buy and sell foreign currencies

Other opportunities include the establishment of investments in the health sector to handle chronic diseases, trading services with the government having allowed foreigners to participate in the imports and export business and logistics. The Ethiopian government has also set up industrial parks and special economic zones for investors to establish their companies in.

The chamber has pledged to organize an educational opportunity for its members at the Embassy so that Kenyan companies can better be informed of investment opportunities within the next month. Later the chamber will organize a trade mission to Ethiopia for its members in the priority sectors including a business matchmaking session with Ethiopian companies.

Ethiopia at a glance

• Population: 2nd most populous country in Africa with a population size of over 120 million
• Economy: 3rd largest economy in sub-saran Africa with GDP of USD 205 billion
• Exports: Leading exports: coffee, oilseeds, gold, pulses, horticulture, live animals, growing manufacturing export (textile and apparel, leather and leather products etc)

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