Kenya Association of Manufacturers (KAM) on Wednesday launched the 6th edition of Changamka Shopping Festival.
The launch was officiated by Nairobi County Governor, Johnson Sakaja.
The festival seeks to showcase high-quality locally manufactured products, in a bid to celebrate the sector’s ingenuity and promote the Buy Kenya Build Kenya initiative.
The event is set to take place from 31st October – 4th November at KICC in Nairobi and 30th November – 2nd December at Oshwal Centre, Mombasa.
Both editions shall feature exhibitors, drawn from various manufacturing sectors, including Food and Beverage; Textiles and Apparel; Metal and Allied; Energy; Plastic; Fresh Produce; Chemical and Allied; Automotive; Paper and Paperboard and Leather and Footwear.
Speaking during the launch, Nairobi County Governor Johnson Sakaja emphasized the importance of supporting local manufactures through policies and incentives enabling them to achieve global competitiveness.
“Nairobi is open for business; we aim to assist local manufacturers, including small and medium enterprises, in fostering industrial growth in the nation through policies and incentives that enable them to achieve global competitiveness.”
Drive the country’s economic grow
KAM Chief Executive, Anthony Mwangi noted that manufacturers have an ambitious goal of increasing the manufacturing sector’s contribution to GDP from the current 7.8% to 20% by 2030.
“The Changamka Festival is part of the Association’s initiatives to drive the country’s economic growth and increase the consumption of locally manufactured goods,” Mwangi said.
“The Shopping aims to dismantle the long-held belief that local goods are not of high quality and to reduce over-reliance on imports,” he added.
This year’s edition has been sponsored by the Ministry of Investments Trade and Industry, Kenya Breweries Limited, GIZ – support provided on behalf of the Republic of Finland and the Federal Republic of Germany, NCBA Bank, KCB Bank, Ecobank Limited, Smart Expo, Integral Media, National Treasury through COMESA RIIP, Nairobi City County, and Amonex Enterprise Limited.
