The Romania–Kenya Chamber of Commerce (ROKECC) organized, at the beginning of May, a webinar dedicated to business opportunities in Kenya for Romanian and European investors, having as a guest Dr. Patrick Osewe, a former World Bank official, with 19 years of experience within the institution.
Why it matters
Kenya is the regional hub of East Africa: a market with a large and predominantly young population, a stable financial system and a position that transforms it into a natural access point to the entire region.
For Romanian companies, understanding this market is the first step of an economic agenda that ROKECC is systematically building, through tools of associative commercial diplomacy.
The sectors with the highest potential
Dr. Osewe reviewed the areas where the demand of the Kenyan market meets the skills of European investors:
- agro-industry and food processing – especially the mechanized processing of agricultural production;
- renewable energy – solar, wind and geothermal, supported by an ambitious national afforestation program;
- ICT and cybersecurity;
- manufacturing industry, especially in special economic zones;
- transport and logistics – including major railway projects that will link Nairobi to Kampala and the rest of the region;
- healthcare – a sector pulled up by a growing middle class; tourism, hospitality and education.
- tourism, hospitality and education
When asked where Romanian investors should look first, Dr. Osewe indicated hospitality, ICT, education and green energy as priorities – the sector in which Kenya aims to become a regional leader.
Tax incentives and support for investors
Kenya offers an attractive tax incentive regime: reduced corporate tax in special economic zones (SEZ) and zero VAT for export-bound production in export processing zones (EPZ).
The KenInvest agency operates as a “one-stop shop” for foreign investors, and the process of setting up a company has been simplified, with solid legal protection for investments.
Dr. Osewe a prezentat și riscurile cu onestitate: fluctuațiile valutare, blocajele de infrastructură și fiabilitatea alimentării cu energie electrică rămân provocări reale, pe care guvernul kenyan lucrează să le rezolve.
Business culture: relationships before transactions
A substantial segment of the webinar was dedicated to the Kenyan business culture, which Dr. Osewe described as relational – close to the Asian model and different from the American-style transactional systems.
Personal connections and hierarchy matter, meetings involve multiple levels of introductions and last longer, but Kenyan partners communicate directly and express their opinions openly.
The trade framework and the bilateral perspective
On the topic of the EU–Kenya Economic Partnership Agreement, Dr. Osewe explained that its application is temporarily suspended due to a challenge pending before the Kenyan courts – a type of blockage that usually delays implementation by three to six months.
Given President William Ruto’s firm commitment to attracting investments, the agreement could become fully operational by the end of 2026 or early 2027.
The discussion also touched upon the recent comprehensive strategic agreement between Kenya and Italy – covering trade, energy, defense cooperation and administrative training – cited as a possible model for a future Romania – Kenya bilateral agreement, in the building of which ROKECC can assume the role of a catalyst.
Internally, Kenya remains a stable democracy, with normal political competition ahead of the 2027 elections.
The discussion agenda also included opportunities in the creative industries – from film production, following Africa’s booming model, to documentary projects shot in Kenya.
What’s next
The webinar is part of a series through which ROKECC brings together experts, private companies and institutions from the two countries. The next step: sectoral webinars dedicated to members’ areas of interest and a large-scale event, with the participation of government officials, the private sector and civil society, dedicated to accelerating economic cooperation between Romania and Kenya.
Do you want to participate in the next ROKECC webinars?
Fill out the membership form (LINK), become part of the ROKECC community and enjoy the benefits of membership!
