NAIROBI, Kenya, Aug 22 — Trade, innovation, and intra-African partnerships are at the heart of the 9th edition of the AgroFood PlastPack Exhibition, which opened in Nairobi on Thursday.
The three-day fair, running until August 23, has attracted 200 exhibitors from 20 countries and more than 10,000 trade visitors — ranging from farmers and processors to investors, manufacturers, distributors and government agencies.
Organizers said the exhibition provides a platform for businesses to exchange ideas, showcase innovations, and form partnerships that will shape Africa’s agro-food, packaging, and manufacturing industries.
Raj Kumar, Vice President of Projects at Parason Machinery, emphasized the role of collaboration and technology transfer in driving Africa’s industrial transformation.
“This event is about more than showcasing products — it is about building connections that will shape industries across Africa for years to come,” he said.
The Namibia-Kenya Chamber of Commerce used the occasion to announce plans to extend future editions of the exhibition to Windhoek, leveraging the Port of Walvis Bay to create new corridors for intra-African trade.
“Our partnerships are not conveniences, they are commitments to a shared future,” said Chamber President Elvis Mboya.
South-South cooperation
The fair is also hosting a UAE Pavilion featuring 10 SMEs under the Khalifa Fund for Enterprise Development, showcasing South-South cooperation as a key driver of new trade corridors.
At the domestic level, Christine Mwende, CEO of the Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Nairobi Chapter), urged Kenyan entrepreneurs to prioritize value addition and embrace competition as a driver of innovation. She noted that reducing post-harvest losses remains critical for food security and export competitiveness.
Packaging has also emerged as a major theme of the exhibition. Joseph Nyongesa, CEO of the Institute of Packaging Professionals Kenya, warned that weak packaging standards are limiting Kenya’s global competitiveness.
“Packaging today is not just about wrapping a product — it is about value creation, competitiveness, and sustainability,” he said.
