Lately, there has been a growing number of Danish companies doing business in Kenya – from patrons enjoying Danish beer Carlsberg, shipping firm Maersk delivering cargo to port of Mombasa and Vestas supplying towering turbines to Lake Turkana Wind Power project.
The Business Daily spoke to Danish ambassador to Kenya Mette Knudsen on the trade and cultural relations between the two countries.
How do Danish people and businesspersons view Kenya?
Kenya has the closest ties to Denmark. This is because of Karen Blixen – all Danes know about her. Therefore, there’s affinity between Kenya and Denmark.
Kenya is a vibrant place. The business sector is one of the most dynamic in Africa. A lot of Danish companies and investors are certainly interested in this market.
There has been high growth rates, increased investments in infrastructure, good information technology uptake, highly educated population and an entrepreneurial spirit.
The Kenyan market gets even more important when it is seen as a part of a bigger bloc and gateway to East African Community.
Since 2011 when the embassy opened the Trade Council in Kenya, which Danish companies have entered the market or increased investment?
There are more than 50 Danish companies which are engaged in Kenya. A lot of our largest companies are active here.
Maersk Group, specifically the shipping line business, is responsible for a large portion of the trade at the port of Mombasa. Maersk entered Kenya in 1994 and has an office in Mombasa and Nairobi, and also offers shipping services to neighbouring countries.
Maersk earlier this year entered the oil and gas industry with the purchase of a 25 per cent stake in Africa Oil’s blocs in Kenya.
Vestas, another Danish company, is both an investor and is supplying the wind turbines for the 300MW Lake Turkana Wind Project. The order of 365 wind turbines is the single-largest wind turbine deal Vestas has ever sold.
Coop Denmark, a retailer, plans to set up a coffee roasting factory in Nairobi and directly source for coffee beans from farmers.
Pharmaceutical giant Novo Nordisk has a diabetes screening and treatment programme in Kenya targeted at the bottom of the pyramid. The company works with public hospitals to ensure availability and accessibility of affordable insulin and provision of quality diabetes health care to Kenyans at the base of the economic pyramid.
Source: Business Daily

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of TradeMark Africa.