Kenya, India sign deal to improve textile industry

Kenya and India have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that establishes a foundation to support and promote trade and investment in the textile industry between the two countries.

According to a statement released by India ITME - a non-profit apex industry body from India – the agreement opens the opportunity for both countries to bring investments by showcasing their strong roots and culture in textile and channelling investors for growth and expansion.

The partnership with India will help Kenya gain experience to develop strong dominance in the spinning segment as well as encash on the state-of-the-art machinery manufactured in India 

Rohit Vadhwana, Deputy High Commissioner & DPR to UNEP & UN-HABITAT noted India has achieved a lot in developing the textile industry and he hopes Kenya can benefit from her collaboration with the Asian country.

“India has achieved strength in Textile industry & has developed policies and various schemes to promote both Traditional Textile craft as well as compete globally in modern clothing requirements,” he said.

He noted that Kenya can benefit from its collaboration and cooperation with the Indian Textile and Textile Engineering sector to generate employment skill development for youth.

Following the agreement, Ambassador Isaiya Kabira (Director General International Conferences, Media Events and Public Communications – Ministry of Foreign Affairs Kenya) expressed interest in mounting an official delegation from Kenya to visit India in December 2022 to explore further synergies between the two nations.

The agreement comes at a time when Kenya is seeking to improve its textile industry which has for years been an entry point for sea trade and transport from Asian and Arabian countries.

Kenya’s textiles and apparel export grew by 5% in FY2021 as compared to FY2017 while its imports in FY2021 increased by 10%.

From the preliminary look, Kenya is having an excellent textile background with few missing lines where its partnership with India strategy can play a major role.

Patricia B. A Aruwa, Deputy Director - Industries Business Environment and Private Sector Development Directorate Ministry of Industrialization Trade and Enterprise Development noted that there was the need for Kenya to be self-reliance for the country’s textile industry to achieve its goals