El’miqdad Hassan Nandwa is the young entrepreneur who impressed President William Ruto at the Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KNCCI) annual general meeting.
Hassan is a horticultural exporter who revealed that he has over fifty people on contractual basis, something that impressed the attendants. His company, Fawakih Import and Export Ltd, exports all kinds of horticultural products from Kenya to other countries.
“I am just 23-years-old, and I’ve been exporting pineapples, avocados, and all kinds of fruits. We also work with more than 20 small and large-scale farmers,” Nandwa narrated.
During his presentation, Nandwa made a passionate plea to the president to lower exportation taxes.
“We are currently exporting an average of 60,000 tonnes of horticulture from Kenya to the international market,” he said, adding that a lot of money made from exportation often go to tax holes.
In response to the young man’s request, President Ruto praised Nandwa for the good work and encouraged him to expand his scope of the exportation business. The President further noted that Kenyans will soon start exporting horticultural products to South Africa.
“We are building a technology super highway that will benefit the likes of Nandwa who is exporting goods from Kenya to the outside world. By December this year, we will be exporting meat and other products to South Africa, thereby expanding our export market,” the President affirmed.
Addressing the audience, the President encouraged members of the chamber, led by business mogul Richard Ngatia, to advocate for a better business environment.
Also speaking at the event, Trade, Industry and Investment Cabinet Secretary Moses Kuria confirmed that KNCCI will soon be anchored in legal policies.
“We will ensure that appropriate laws are enacted to give legitimacy to such bodies,” Kuria affirmed.
