KAAA Youth and SME Coordinator Jane Mwangi (right) with an SME at the Expo
Over 1,000 enterprises from 52 countries and regions presented their hit products in Guangdong 21st Century Maritime Silk Road International Expo held in Dongguan of Guangdong on October 28-30th 2017 in search of business opportunities and expansion of cooperation.
As an important platform of the Belt and Road Initiative (B&R) debuted in 2014, Guangdong 21st Century Maritime Silk Road International Expo promotes the all-round cooperation between China, especially Guangdong, and nations and regions along the Maritime Silk Road.
This year, the Expo attracted an increased number of participants along the Maritime Silk Road. According to the Organizing Committee, over 1,000 enterprises from 52 countries and regions signed up for the Expo, among which 39 countries and regions including Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia own independent national (regional) pavilions.
Besides traditional goods along the Maritime Silk Road namely tea, silk and ceramics, the Expo also gathers exhibits with local characteristics, such as diamonds, gold and jewelries from South Africa, wine and olive oil from Italy, white coffee and cocoa from Malaysia, deep sea fish oil and abalone from Australia and rum and honey from Mauritius. The event was themed Economic, Trade and Cultural co-operation among the countries along the Maritime Silk Road.
A KAAA SME at an exhibition stand during the Guangdong Expo in China
Guangdong province is one of china’s economic powerhouses and a leading force in china’s economic development and economic trade. This can greatly be attributed to the fact that Guangdong capital Guangzhou was initially a trading port this paving way for the Maritime Silk Road that has seen trading activities blossom in the area and contributed greatly to Chinas economy.
The Kenya Agribusiness and Agroindustry Alliance (KAAA) being the leading private sector in agro processing in Kenya was in attendance. Two of the Alliance’s SMEs had the opportunity to showcase their products at the exhibition.
A KAAA SME at her stand at the Guangdong Expo in China
The Alliance also had a chance to look for markets for her SMEs since market linkage of SMEs to local and international market is our priority. KAAA also acquired different knowledge and packaging technology for her SMEs who are involved in value addition and packaging.
According to KAAA’s Youth and SME Coordinator Ms. Jane Mwangi who attended the event together with the SME’s, packaging is one of the major problems that affect the visibility of the SMEs products but with the right knowledge and proper packaging techniques, their products can make it to international markets.
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