The two day 9th session of India-Kenya Joint Trade Committee (JTC) was held on 19th – 20th August 2019 in New Delhi.
Delegations:
Union Minister of Commerce & Industry and Railways, PiyushGoyal led the Indian delegation, whereas the Kenyan delegation was led by Peter Munya, Minister of Industry, Trade and Cooperatives, Government of the Republic of Kenya.
Bilateral trade review:
Both sides reviewed the trends in bilateral trade since the last session of the India-Kenya JTC, which was held in August 2018 in Nairobi, Kenya and also the progress in cooperation in the power sector, renewable energy, petroleum and natural gas, civil aviation and agricultural research was also reviewed.
Top items exported from India: Petroleum products, drug formulations, biological and industrial machinery for dairy, paper, paper board and products, plastic raw materials, two and three-wheelers, iron and steel, manmade yarn, fabrics made-ups, books, publications and printing, electric machinery and equipment.
Top items imported to india: Inorganic chemicals, pulses, coffee, drug formulations, biologicals, copper and products made of copper, wood products, aluminium, products of aluminium, tea and finished leather. Both sides stressed the need to enhance trade relations and also to diversify the trade basket.
Future investment opportunities in trade:
The proposal on investment from Indian side was welcomed by Kenya and are to explore the investment opportunities in the Special Economic Zones (SEZs) of Kenya and to explore investment-related laws and regulations and exchange of business missions.
Trade in the field of housing:
The 2nd meeting of India-Kenya Joint Technical Committee (JTC) on Housing, held in Nairobi on 30th May 2019 was recalled.
i.Decisions taken: Discussions on the sidelines of the 1st UN-HABITAT Assembly was done and agreement to expand cooperation in the field of housing through capacity building of Kenyan officials was made.
ii.Conference to be held: A Conference on Housing in India and exploring partnership between Kenya Institute of Housing and Building Technology (KIHBT) and Building Materials and Technology Promotion Council (BMTPC), India is to be held in the future.
iii.MoU expanded: MoU(Memorandum of Understanding) between the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, the Government of the Republic of Kenya on cooperation in the field of National Housing Policy Development and Management signed on 11th July 2016 was expanded.
iv.Reason for expansion: To strengthen cooperation in the areas of sustainable urban development including smart cities, water and waste management and urban mobility. Further, Kenya had also requested for technical assistance to support the implementation of Kenyan urban and affordable housing programmes.
Other sectors to be explored in future: Manufacturing, agriculture, agro-processing, floriculture, aquaculture, Information, Communication and Technology (ICT) and products such as base metals & articles thereof, textiles & textile articles, vegetables and horticultural products, plastics & rubber, chemical products and machinery & mechanical appliances.
About the UN-HABITAT
♦ The first session of the UN-Habitat Assembly was held from 27-31 May 2019, at the headquarters of UN-Habitat in Nairobi, kenya with the theme “Innovation for Better Quality of Life in Cities and Communities”.
♦ The sub-theme for the meeting was ‘Accelerated Implementation of the New Urban Agenda towards Achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals’.
About Kenya
♦ Capital- Nairobi.
♦ Currency- Kenyan Shilling.
♦ Official languages- Swahili, English.
♦ President- Uhuru Kenyatta(4th president).