Keypoints:
- Dubai launches council for Kenyan businesses
- Non-oil trade reached AED13.6bn in 2025
- Platform supports investment and safer exports
DUBAI has launched a Kenyan Business Council to deepen trade, investment and commercial ties with Kenya, giving companies from both markets a formal platform to pursue partnerships, exchange market intelligence and identify opportunities across fast-growing sectors.
The council arrives as Kenya and the United Arab Emirates move from diplomatic engagement towards a more structured economic relationship. Its practical test will be whether stronger official ties translate into safer export transactions, wider market access and investment that supports Kenyan enterprises and regional value chains.
Council targets practical business deals
The Dubai Chamber of Commerce announced the establishment of the council on July 20, 2026, following its inaugural meeting at Dubai Chambers’ headquarters.
Business leaders and other stakeholders discussed joint investment prospects, commercial events, information-sharing and ways to build stronger connections between Kenyan companies and Dubai-based counterparts.
Maha Al Gargawi, Vice President of Business Advocacy at Dubai Chambers, described the body as ‘an important platform for strengthening trade and investment partnerships between Dubai and Kenya’.
She said the council would also help identify new areas of bilateral cooperation and contribute to sustainable strategic partnerships between the two business communities.
Dubai Chambers’ country-specific business councils represent companies and investors from individual markets, working with the chamber to address commercial priorities and develop bilateral investment relationships.
Trade rises as CEPA removes barriers
The initiative builds on the Kenya-UAE Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, signed in Abu Dhabi on January 14, 2025.
The agreement was the UAE’s first CEPA with a mainland African country. It is intended to reduce trade barriers, simplify customs procedures and expand cooperation in services, technology, digital trade and sustainable investment.
The council adds a private-sector mechanism to a relationship already being reshaped by logistics, industrial investment and regional trade integration.
Dubai Chambers said 146 Kenyan companies joined the chamber in 2025, taking the number of active Kenyan member businesses to 587. That represented annual growth of 9.7 percent.
Non-oil trade between Dubai and Kenya reached AED13.6bn ($3.70bn) during the same year, rising 2.1 percent compared with 2024.
Export protection gains urgency
The new council follows the Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s opening of a Dubai liaison office in January 2026.
KNCCI said the office would help exporters verify buyers, secure contracts, obtain legal support and respond more quickly to payment disputes.
KNCCI President Erick Rutto said unpaid livestock exports alone were costing Kenyan traders KSh6bn ($46.3m) annually. Fresh-produce exporters have also faced losses linked to unreliable buyers and failed payments.
The council and liaison office therefore serve related but distinct purposes. One is designed to build networks and investment partnerships, while the other focuses on reducing the commercial risks facing exporters.
Gateway to wider Gulf markets
Kenyan businesses increasingly view Dubai as a route into Gulf and Asian markets, supported by its ports, aviation links, financial services and distribution networks.
Kenya exports tea, coffee, cut flowers, fresh fruits, vegetables, meat and other agricultural products to the UAE. It imports petroleum products, machinery, chemicals, electronics and manufactured goods.
Cooperation is also extending into artificial intelligence and digital innovation, alongside renewable energy, infrastructure, aviation, food security and logistics.
Kenya has also explored UAE support for the extension of its Standard Gauge Railway towards Uganda and South Sudan.
What happens next?
The council’s impact will depend on the quality of deals it helps generate, its ability to connect smaller Kenyan firms with credible partners and whether it can address practical market-entry barriers.
For Dubai-based investors, Kenya offers access to a large domestic market and a strategic platform for reaching East Africa. For Kenyan companies, the council could provide the relationships and commercial intelligence needed to compete more confidently across the Gulf.
