More than 700 delegates and 300 companies participated in the third edition of the American Chamber of Commerce summit in Nairobi, Kenya, organizers said. U.S. government and private‑sector delegations met with counterparts from Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, Ethiopia and Kenya. President William Ruto announced that Kenya is “open for business,” highlighting a new deal with U.S. biotech firm Moderna. “It is with pleasure that I announced the finalized deal between Moderna and the government of Kenya to build a $500 million mRNA vaccine facility in Nairobi,” he said.
The two‑day AmCham business summit, which concluded on Thursday, gave business leaders a chance to exchange market intelligence and explore commercial opportunities. Maxwell Okello, CEO of AmCham Kenya, said the event followed the recent U.S.–Africa Leaders Summit hosted by the White House and served two purposes: demonstrating U.S. commitments and advancing commercial engagement. “We thought this would be a good platform to create partnerships, bring local companies that could be counterparts to those American companies interested in coming into Kenya,” he explained.
Scott Eisner, president of the U.S. Chamber’s Africa Business Center, led a delegation of more than 30 executives. Speaking to VOA, he said the group hoped to forge concrete private‑sector opportunities and joint ventures, noting the presence of tech firms, pharmaceuticals, medical‑device manufacturers, satellite mapping companies, and infrastructure developers such as Caterpillar and GE. “We have arranged a very strong delegation representing the complexities of the American business community,” Eisner added.
Among the exhibitors was Kenyan‑based startup Semiconductor Technologies Limited, represented by process engineer Nzonzi Katana. The company, which manufactures microprocessors, memory chips and sensors, met many representatives from American firms. “I believe there is one person who might be a potential supplier of our raw material,” Katana said.
Kenya is currently experiencing protests organized by opposition leader Raila Odinga over the high cost of living, which have resulted in three deaths in clashes with police. Whitney Baird, an official in the State Department’s Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs, said Washington keeps U.S. companies informed about each country’s political and security situation through publications such as the Investment Climate Statement and Country Commercial Guide. She noted Kenya’s strong democratic tradition and expressed satisfaction with recent elections, urging any incoming U.S. business to engage with the commercial and economic sections of the embassy for the latest information on opportunities and the evolving situation.
At the summit, seven African agriculture companies received grants totaling $5.1 million from the U.S. Agency for International Development through its Prosper Africa and Feed the Future programs.
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