KIRDI to host conference and expo to support SMEs

KISUMU

Thursday, September 21, 2023

KNA By Chris Mahandara

The Kenya Industrial Research Development Institute (KIRDI) in partnership with the County Government of Kisumu has organized a five-day exhibition and conference at the lake city to showcase various products and exchange ideas with players in different sectors of the economy.

Over 1, 000 participants in the energy, food and beverage, textile, mining, hospitality and tourism, agribusiness, medical, education, chemical industry, mechanical and electrical engineering, construction, enterprise support organizations, telecommunications, media, forestry, transport, utility companies, trade associations, financial institutions and operation and maintenance institutions are expected to grace the event.

KIRDI Western Region Center Acting Deputy Director Jackis Auka said the expo to run from September 23rd -27th at the Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Sports Grounds is part of the activities lined up to mark Kisumu Tourism Week adding that it will give a platform to SME’s to showcase their activities, products and services to a wider audience.

The expo, he added, will bring together stakeholders in the blue economy to enhance their visibility within the Lake Region Economic Bloc as the government moves to revitalize the sector.

Exhibitors, he added, will have an opportunity to network, exchange ideas, learn from their peers, and close deals during the expo.

This, he said, was in line with the state agency’s mandate to promote the growth of SMEs and the development of local products.

 “The event will expose what is in Kisumu and the wider Western Kenya to the Kenyan Public, East Africans, and the world at large,” he said.

KIRDI, he said, was committed to supporting the government’s Bottom Up Economic Transformation Agenda adding that various SME’s and organizations championing different initiatives in economic diversification, industrialization, value addition, and infrastructure development have confirmed participation.

Registration for the expo, he said was ongoing online and at the Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Sports Grounds urging all SMEs and players allied to the sector in the area to take advantage of the opportunity and register.

Courtesy; KNA