Traders in Kenya stand to benefit from increased efficiency following launch of the Information for Trade in Kenya web portal that aims at easing costs of trade.

KenTrade CEO Mr. Amos Wangora said the portal will enable traders to access all the relevant documentation requirements for imports and/or exports of their respective commodities adding that their aim is to boost Kenya’s efforts to become a globally competitive player in the overall share of trade in the world.

“It provides the current, potential traders and other stakeholders with total transparency on rules and procedures pertaining to import and export formalities, through detailed, practical and up-to-date descriptions of steps to go through, as seen from the user’s point of view to assist them to make informed business decisions,” Wangora explained.

He added that the InfoTrade Kenya Portal together with the Kenya Trade Net System would provide an end to end solution on regulatory and documentation requirements in the country and to streamline and simplify trade processes for the business community.

The portal has consolidated more than 120 documents and procedures required for import and export business in Kenya on one online platform.

The portal is estimated to serve at least 1.5 million users per month and consolidates 73 documents under exports, 52 under imports and one under transits (cross-border trade) thus ensuring a shorter period in the export and import processes.

Kenya Trade Network Agency (KenTrade) implemented the portal with financial support of approx. US$ 498, 000 from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) through TradeMark Africa (TMA).

The portal provides step-by-step guidelines and contacts on the procedures and documents required by a trader seeking to import or export various commodities from Kenya. United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) provided technical assistance.

Source: Soko Directory

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.