2015’s largest trade and commodity finance gathering in East Africa

Global Trade Review (GTR) the leading publication for the trade, commodity and export finance community, was delighted to return to Nairobi for the East Africa Trade & Commodity Finance Conference 2015, which took place at the Windsor Golf Hotel & Country Club, on May 14-15.

This two-day conference attracted over 250 business leaders and provide extensive networking opportunities for domestic, regional and international financial institutions; local SMEs and global corporates; policy makers; lawyers, and specialist trade finance experts.

The event will opened with a keynote address by Hon. Peter Kenneth MGH, who addressed the key economic issues affecting Kenya’s commodities sector. This was followed by discussions focused on developing strategies for Africa’s agricultural sector, options available to SMEs and mid-caps and the demand for structured commodity finance.

As the largest trade and commodity finance gathering in East Africa the conference brought together decision makers from commodity focused organisations such as Mount Meru Group, Louis Dreyfus Commodities, Gulf Power, Signature Agri Ventures and Ecom Agroindustrial to give their unique insights into today’s market. The conference also attracted many local and international delegates from the banking and financial services sectors who discussed extending East Africa’s reach through supply chain finance as well as exploring the position of trade credit insurance in the market.

“Kenya’s economy has many reasons for optimism, with growth in many sectors,” says the producer of the conference, Paul Greetham. “This conference aimed to bring together the people that really make a difference in the market to discuss new strategies, address industry opportunities and to strategically align their export policies with international financing standards.”

With so many high-level delegates in attendance, networking provided a key feature throughout the course of the 2 days. With networking lunches, an evening drinks reception and specific networking platforms, there was ample opportunity for anyone serious about doing business in East Africa to create new business contacts and build relationships with the market’s main players.

“The East Africa Trade & Commodity Finance Conference has rightly become the conference of choice for the region,” says Peter Gubbins, Managing Director of GTR. “Many delegates and supporters return year after year and have helped develop this key industry gathering into a source of contemporary discussion and unrivalled networking. We look forward to facilitating business here for many years to come.”