Buy locally manufactured products, Kenyans urged

The 6^th Edition of the Changamka Kenya Shopping Festival has officially kicked off at the Kenyatta International Conference Center (KICC) with calls on Kenyans to take advantage of the Festival and shop for quality products at discounted prices. The Festival will run from today, 31st October to 4th November 2023.

Hosted by the Kenya Association of Manufacturers (KAM), the Festival brings together Kenyan manufacturers and other stakeholders within the sector and gives them an opportunity to showcase locally made products as well as sell to their customers directly. Additionally, it brings together local manufacturers to showcase high-quality Made in Kenya products, in line with the Buy Kenya Build Kenya Strategy. The strategy was formulated to address the gap in the consumption of locally manufactured goods compared to imported products.

The Festival comes at a time when the government has increased efforts in pushing for the embrace of locally manufactured goods as a way of boosting both the economy and the sector. According to stats by Kenya Bureau of Statistics (KNBS), the manufacturing sector in Kenya employs the second highest number of wage earners after the private sector at 352,000 people.

“This expo will showcase the high-quality products manufactured by our industry players for Kenyans and the global market. Some of the products showcased here are the top-quality products that we export to the USA, Europe, Africa, and other markets. These are world-class products made for Kenyans,” said Dr. Juma Mukhwana, HSC PS – State Department for Industry.

He further added that, “As a government, our focus towards promoting sustainable policies to promote local manufacturing is clear. We will continue working with local manufacturing players to create a conducive business environment to increase the contribution to GDP by the manufacturing sector from the current 7.2% to 20% by 2030 as ably explained by the KAM board Chairperson.”

For years, KAM has been at the forefront of pushing for the consumption of locally manufactured goods and breaking the long-standing myth that local products are more expensive as compared to those that are imported. Through initiatives such as the Changamka Festival, KAM hopes to boost production among manufacturers and spur Kenya’s economic growth.

KAM Chair, Mr. Rajan Shah explained that the Festival serves to bring together different stakeholders including customers to appreciate the immense potential the manufacturing in Kenya holds. “It provides an opportunity to celebrate our manufacturing sector and its diversity. As an industry, we aim to dismantle the long-held belief that local goods are not of high quality and to reduce over-reliance on imports.”

Also present at the opening forum, KAM Chief Executive, Mr Anthony Mwangi noted that there is no doubt that local manufacturing is the backbone of Kenya’s economy and its positive effect on the economy should not be underrated.

He added, “This 6th Edition, just like the five that came before, sets a platform for Kenyan shoppers to have a taste of the quality products that we have as Kenyans, and perhaps work towards shedding off the notion that our products are of low quality and expensive. Changamka Kenya Shopping Festival resonates with our national fabric and emerges as a unique brand that will serve as a reminder to all Kenyans of what it means to embrace local industry’s authenticity and ingenuity, today and in the future.”