Simplification Drive for Vegetable Oils & Industrial Minerals Gains Momentum

KenTrade is at the forefront of simplifying trade procedures for vegetable oils and industrial minerals. This past week, the workshop brought together key government agencies, including the State Department for Trade (SDT), the State Department for Mining (SDM), the Agriculture and Food Authority (AFA) – Nuts and Oil Crops Directorate, and the Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service (KEPHIS). The team was led by our Chief Executive Officer, David Ngarama, who underscored our commitment to cutting red tape and boosting export competitiveness.

The workshop was also attended by our Director, Trade Facilitation, Stephen Lekupe, who emphasized that simplifying trade procedures is central to Kenya’s economic transformation agenda. Efficient, transparent, and predictable processes are critical to attracting investment and strengthening Kenya’s position as a regional trade and logistics hub.

KenTrade has made significant strides in enabling paperless trade on our Trade Facilitation Platform, improving access to regulatory information, and reducing duplication through our Information for Trade portal, InfoTradeKE.

The joint stakeholder workshop ended with a clear roadmap for eliminating remaining bottlenecks and duplications in vegetable oils and industrial minerals trade procedures. The roadmap will be communicated to stakeholders once finalized.